Asked about a ceasefire proposal from the US approved by Ukraine, Russia’s foreign minister said it won’t accept anything that puts lives in jeopardy, and also warned against any NATO troops in Ukraine. Follow the latest here – and ask Michael Clarke a question for our Q&A below.
Wednesday 12 March 2025 07:17, UK
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There has been more contact between Moscow and Ukraine, according to a report by the Russian Interfax news agency.
It said Russia’s foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin held a call with John Ratcliffe, who’s the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency – otherwise known as the CIA.
Among the topics discussed, it’s said, were cooperation between their agencies and crisis management.
A 47-year-old woman has been killed in a Russian missile attack, according to a local Ukrainian governor.
Dnirpopetrovsk regional governor Serhiy Lysak said the attack happened at an infrastructure facility in Kryvyi Rih, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s home town.
Local official Oleksandr Vilkul added in a post on messaging app Telegram that two other people were also injured.
Talks continue for peace in the diplomatic sphere, but on the battlefield there appears to be no let-up.
Overnight, Russia said it intercepted 21 Ukrainian drones, 12 of which were downed over the Bryansk border region .
The rest, Moscow said, were shot down over Kaluga, the Crimean Peninsula, the Black Sea and Kursk – where Ukrainian forces are locked in a fierce battle with Russian and North Korean troops.
Some early lines from Moscow to bring you first thing.
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister and top diplomat, has been asked about a possible peace deal agreed between the US and Ukraine yesterday.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Washington proposed a 30-day ceasefire, stopping missile, drone, and bomb attacks along the entire frontline.
But Lavrov, in comments published today by Russian news agencies, said Moscow will avoid compromises that jeopardise lives.
He also reiterated what’s now a common refrain in Moscow – they will not accept the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine under any conditions.
Meanwhile, Lavrov’s mouthpiece Maria Zakharova said this morning Russia will make its own decisions.
„The shaping of the position of the Russian Federation does not take place abroad due to some agreements or efforts of some parties,“ she said.
„The formation of the position of the Russian Federation takes place inside the Russian Federation.“
Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
We’ll be resuming our updates shortly – but first, here’s a summary of the major developments emerging from talks between the US and Ukraine yesterday:
Thanks for joining us for a busy day of coverage as US and Ukrainian officials met in Saudi Arabia.
We’re pausing our live updates for now, but here’s a round-up of all the day’s events:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has accepted a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia after the talks in Jeddah – something which has been welcomed by European leaders.
It comes as the US said it had immediately resumed intelligence-sharing and military aid with Ukraine.
In a statement, Zelenskyy said the US must now „convince Russia to do this“ and that „if the Russians agree – that’s when the silence will work“.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio responded by saying „the ball is now in Russia’s court“ and said „we’re going to take this offer to Russia“.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he thinks he will talk to Vladimir Putin this week, but warned „it takes two to tango“.
The US president said he hopes to have a total ceasefire in the coming days – with Russia not ruling out the prospect of contacts with the US.
You can watch the immediate reaction from the talks, including analysis from our US correspondent Mark Stone, in the video below…
After a busy evening of developments on the war in Ukraine, our security and defence analyst Michael Clarke will be back to answer all your questions live tomorrow.
You can submit them now in the box at the top of the page.
You’ll be able to watch along tomorrow afternoon – but before then you can catch up on last week’s edition here:
We’re now receiving more reaction from the officials that were in the room for the US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine’s defence minister has taken to social media site X to highlight the key outcomes of the meeting- from the resumption of US assistance to Europe’s role in peace negotiations.
Rustem Umerov said he was „grateful to all participants of today’s meeting for a very productive and results-oriented conversation“.
He went on to thank his „American colleagues“ and „Saudi friends and partners“ for their support.
Rubio: Today was a good day for peace
Leading the US delegation was secretary of state Marco Rubio, who described today as being a „good day for peace“.
Rubio thanked Donald Trump for his leadership and said „we are one step closer to restoring durable peace for Ukraine“.
„The ball is now in Russia’s court,“ he added.
Earlier, we brought you comments from Donald Trump as he said he believes he will talk to Vladimir Putin this week (see 7.26pm post).
But the US president warned „it takes two to tango“ after Ukraine said it is ready to accept the US proposal of a 30-day ceasefire.
You can watch his reaction to the US-Ukraine talks below…
The biggest win for Ukraine at the moment is the resumption of US military support, the chair of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee has said.
Speaking on The World with Yalda Hakim, Oleksandr Merezhko said: „For us, it’s crucial for our defensive capabilities and survival.“
But as for the ceasefire proposal, he warned „we should remember history“.
„We had dozens of such ceasefires before under the Minsk Accords, and each time these ceasefires had been violated in the most flagrant way by Putin,“ Merezhko said.
„But now we have one psychological and interesting difference, because this time, if Putin assumed that he agrees to such a ceasefire, the guarantor of such a ceasefire will be Trump himself.“
„I would like to see whether Putin respects or doesn’t respect Trump.“
Merezhko adds that he is „very sceptical“ over whether Russia would stick to any potential ceasefire if it was agreed.
„This is why we continue to need reliable security guarantees, and the best and cheapest security guarantee for us is NATO membership,“ he said.
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Ukraine war latest: Trump warns Putin 'it takes two to tango' as Kyiv accepts ceasefire plan – Sky News
