Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Jeddah, March 10, 2025
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Monday’s Coverage: Kyiv to Propose Partial Ceasefire in Return for US Aid
Map: Institute for the Study of War
UPDATE 2123 GMT:
Ukraine’s Presidential Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa says, “I have confirmation that US military assistance has been resumed. The agreements are being implemented.”
UPDATE 2118 GMT:
Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has posted about “a serious step forward…on the path to peace and in developing the strategic Ukraine-US partnership”.
Thanking the US delegation and Saudi hosts, he summarized, “This is what a frank, open, and constructive dialogue brings.”
UPDATE 2114 GMT:
Donald Trump says he hopes Russia will agree to the interim ceasefire agreed between the Ukraine and the US, with the proposal solidified “over the next few days”.
Trump told reporters that he will invite Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky back to the White House.
UPDATE 2039 GMT:
European Union leaders have welcomed the Ukraine-US agreement for an interim ceasefire.
European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement:
This is a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
The ball is now in Russia’s court.
The EU is ready to play its full part, together with its partners, in the upcoming peace negotiations.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote, “It seems like the Americans and Ukrainians have taken an important step towards peace. And Europe stands ready to help reach a just and lasting peace.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump and noted that he is convening a virtual meeting of countries ready to support a ceasefire on Saturday “to discuss next steps”.
“We are ready to help bring an end to this war in a just and permanent way that allows Ukraine to enjoy its freedom,” he said.
And French President Emmanuel Macron posted, “The ball is now clearly in Russia’s court. France and its partners remain committed to a solid and lasting peace, backed by robust security guarantees for Ukraine.”
UPDATE 1907 GMT:
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed the US acceptance of Kyiv’s proposal for a partial ceasefire, halting aerial attacks, operations in the Black Sea, and assaults on energy and other infrastructure.
Zelensky hailed the “good and constructive” discussion in Saudi Arabia. He also noted the Ukraine proposal for the release of prisoners of war and military and civilian detainees and the return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia.
“The American side understands our arguments and considers our proposals, he posted. “I am grateful to President Trump for the constructive conversation between our teams.”
Zelensky said of the US proposal for “an even bigger first step” with a full 30-day ceasefire, including on the frontline:
Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal — we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it. Now, it is up to the United States to convince Russia to do the same. If Russia agrees, the ceasefire will take effect immediately.
The President indicated that the ceasefire must ensure that Russia does not rearm for more attacks.
Our position remains absolutely clear: Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war, and we want to do everything to achieve it as soon as possible and in a reliable way — so that war does not return.
The head of the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, posted, “Protecting Ukraine’s interests is the most important thing for us. A just peace is key for us. We want a lasting peace. Thank you for the constructive meeting.”
UPDATE 1830 GMT:
Ukraine and the US have agreed an immediate 30-day ceasefire with steps towards restoring a durable peace after the end of Russia’s invasion, according to a joint statement from the meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Trump Administration will restore military aid and intelligence-sharing to Kyiv.
The ceasefire can be extended by mutual agreement, but is subject to acceptance and implementation by Russia.
The US will discuss the proposals with representatives from Russia, while Ukraine reiterated that European partners will be involved.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump have agreed to “conclude as soon as possible” a comprehensive agreement for “developing Ukraine’s critical mineral resources to expand Ukraine’s economy, offset the cost of American assistance, and guarantee Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security”, according to the statement.
UPDATE 1634 GMT:
Oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline from Russia to Hungary have been halted because of a Ukrainian drone attack on a metering station on Russian territory, says Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.
Ukrainian forces reportedly struck Druzhba in the Oryol region in western Russia on Tuesday.
The pipeline, one of the world’s largest with a capacity of 2 million barrels per day (bpd), carries oil from Russian fields to European refineries. Hungary imports most of its crude oil via the route.
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the attack on Druzhba and also on the Moscow Oil Refinery, claiming multiple hits.
The Moscow refinery, is capable of processing 11 million metric tons of oil per year covering 40% to 50% of Moscow’s gasoline and diesel supplies.
UPDATE 1614 GMT:
France has rejected Russia’s demand for the demilitarization of Ukraine.
Opening the Paris Defense and Strategy Forum with more than 30 army chiefs in attendance, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Paris will “refuse any demilitarization of the Ukrainian army”, as it is an important part of any future security architecture.
Impliciting referring to the Trump Administration, he said the Forum will look at how NATO and the west could defend the eastern flank of Europe “if tomorrow the contributions of certain countries – or one country in particular – were to decrease”.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans warned that as “the threats imposed by Russia are only growing…we don’t have much time to get this right, we only have one shot”.
It’s impossible to predict, but what I do already know is that our actions in these coming days and coming weeks will be crucial in shaping the next five to 10 years.
Brekelmans said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky “should not have to agree to a deal that would result in some sort of interbellum, with aggression constantly looming on the horizon”.
“He needs to negotiate from a position of strength,” the defense minister emphasized.
UPDATE 0953 GMT:
Russian officials claim Ukraine has launched its largest-ever drone assault, with at least two workers killed in a meat warehouse and 18 people injured.
The Russian Defense Ministry asserted that 337 drones were downed, including 91 over the Moscow region and 126 over the Kursk region.
UPDATE 0928 GMT:
At least one civilian has been killed and 17 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.
The fatality and three of the wounded were in the Donetsk region in the east. Eleven people were injured in the Kherson region in the south, and one each in the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Air defenses intercepted 79 of 126 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 35 were lost to electronic counter-measures.
One Iskander-M ballistic missile was downed.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine’s officials will meet Trump Administration counterparts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, proposing how to end Russia’s 36 1/2-month invasion.
Kyiv confirmed on Monday that it will propose a partial ceasefire, covering drone and missile strikes, operations in the Black Sea, and attacks on energy and other infrastructure. That pause will be followed by the release of prisoners and return of Ukrainian children seized by Russian forces and authorities.
Officials said the delegation is also ready to sign an agreement on provision of rare earth minerals to the US.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported “a good meeting” with Saudi Crown Prince of Mohammed bin Salman, thaking him for “support for Ukraine” and “words of confidence in Ukraine’s future”.
Zelensky said he emphasized the release of prisoners and Ukrainian children, and a “significant part” of the discussion was about security guarantees. There was also consideration of “key sectors for investment, starting with security, energy, and infrastructure”.
State media said Mohammed bin Salman reinforced Saudi support for international efforts to achieve peace.
US’s Rubio: Ukraine Must Accept Russian Occupation
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, leading the US delegation, continued to display the Trump Administration’s tilt towards the Kremlin.
He told reporters en route to Saudi Arabia that “Ukraine is prepared to do difficult things, like the Russians are going to have to do difficult things, to end this conflict or at least pause it in some way, shape or form”. He said both sides must “come to an understanding that there’s no military solution to this situation”.
However, his reference to concessions was exclusively about Ukraine, indicating that it had to accept long-term Russian occupation of part of the country: “The Russians can’t conquer all of Ukraine, and obviously it’ll be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time period to sort of force the Russians back all the way to where they were in 2014.”
In contrast, as the Trump Administration has cut off military aid and intelligence to Kyiv, he did not mention any concession on the part of the Russians.
Rubio dampened expectation of the completion of the minerals deal, saying more details needed to be worked out.
US officials said that Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will meet Vladimir Putin on a forthcoming trip to Moscow.
Witkoff insisted that Zelensky had said sorry to Donald Trump over the ambush by Trump and J.D. Vance on the Ukrainian President in the White House on February 28.
“Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologized for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office. I think that was an important step,” Witkoff said.
In fact, in a lengthy social media post on March 4, written after consultations between Ukrainian and Trump officials, Zelensky said only that he regretted that the meeting had not gone well. Seeking the restoration of US aid, the President said he looked forward to support of Ukraine’s security under the “strong leadership” of Trump.
