Ukraine-Russia war latest: White House says peace deal ‘has never been closer’ ahead of Trump-Putin talks

The White House has said a peace deal to end Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine has “never been closer” ahead of Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday: “I won't get ahead of those negotiations, but I can say we are on the 10th yard line of peace. And we've never been closer to a peace deal than we are in this moment. And the president, as you know, is determined to get one done."

Ms Leavitt’s remarks echo the US president’s own.

While flying from Florida to Washington on Air Force One on Sunday night, Mr Trump said: “We will see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday. I will be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday. A lot of work's been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.”

The US president's comments came as a Russian official said Moscow will seek "ironclad" guarantees in any peace deal that Nato nations will exclude Kyiv from membership, and that Ukraine will remain "neutral".

Russia’s deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko also repeated the Kremlin’s position that Moscow is categorically against the deployment of Nato observers to Ukraine.

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22:53 , Tara Cobham

The EU foreign affairs chief will meet with David Lammy and John Healey on Tuesday to discuss increasing economic pressure on Russia and supporting Ukraine.

Kaja Kallas is due to hold talks with the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary. It comes as the UK and France have continued their efforts to bring together a coalition of nations who would be willing to enforce a peace deal.

Their conversations are expected to touch on EU/UK co-operation on Ukraine, as well as how they can put financial pressure on Moscow and ensure damage in Ukraine is paid for.

They are also expected to discuss action against cyberattacks and disinformation.

Ms Kallas is also expected to receive a briefing from the Chief of Defence Staff.

22:51 , Tara Cobham

US President Donald Trump on Monday said many elements of a final deal on Ukraine had been agreed to but much remained, ahead of a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

"I look very much forward to the call with President Putin," he wrote on Truth Social.

22:12 , Tara Cobham

Russian forces were on Monday advancing in southern Ukraine and had pierced part of the Ukrainian lines less than 50 km (30 miles) southeast of the city of Zaporizhzhia, according to Russian officials and pro-Russian military bloggers.

The reports could not be independently verified.

Russia's Defence Ministry said in a statement that its forces had taken the village of Stepove in the Zaporizhzhia region, pushing through Ukrainian lines.

Ukraine's military made no acknowledgement that Stepove was in Russian hands.

A late evening military bulletin said Ukrainian forces had repelled attacks near Stepove and the nearby village of Lobkove, and three battles were still going on in the vicinity.

Yuri Podolyaka, one of the most influential pro-Russian military bloggers, said Russian forces had also smashed their way into the nearby village of Maly Shcherbaky.

"Our units have broken through the first line of defence in the Zaporizhzhia direction," Podolyaka said.

The popular Ukrainian blog Deep State, which tracks the front line of the war using open sources, said Russian forces had been spotted near Stepove and, despite Ukrainian attempts to contain them, had made some advances towards a major road.

Deep State also reported that Russian forces were continuing to press forward to Maly Shcherbaky and another village south of Stepove.

22:10 , Tara Cobham

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin "are very good friends" who are focused on ways to strengthen the bonds between the United States and Russia, US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has said.

Ms Gabbard said ties between Russia and the US go "very far back" and that Mr Trump is committed to expanding a relationship centred "around peace, prosperity, freedom and security".

"We have two leaders of two great countries who are very good friends and very focused on how we can strengthen the shared objectives and shared interests," Ms Gabbard said in an interview with India's NDTV, portions of which were released on Monday ahead of its broadcast.

Ms Gabbard's comments reflect the dramatic shift in US-Russia relations under Mr Trump, who has boasted of his relationship with Mr Putin, blamed Ukraine for Russia's invasion and taken a hard line against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

22:00 , Tara Cobham

The Kremlin has now confirmed that Vladimir Putin will speak on the phone to Donald Trump tomorrow. The White House says Ukraine’s President Zelensky will come to Washington on Friday. Peace – or at least a ceasefire – seems very likely soon.

But never forget, the devil is in the details – and a hastily cobbled-together deal could be very fragile. There will be hardliners on either side who don’t want to give peace a chance.

Let’s consider what might be in a deal agreeable to Trump and Putin – and swallowable by Zelensky.

Mark Almond writes:

What to expect as Trump and Putin thrash out a ceasefire in Ukraine

21:26 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire but, for it to be implemented, Russia must stop setting conditions, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The Ukrainian president said he discussed this in his conversation with French president Emmanuel Macron on Monday.

He said the two leaders also spoke about the coalition of countries willing to work with Ukraine to bring about peace, describing the number as “growing”.

I spoke with President of France @EmmanuelMacron. As always, it was a very constructive conversation.We discussed the results of the leaders’ online meeting that took place on Saturday. The coalition of countries willing to work with us to bring about a just and lasting peace… pic.twitter.com/5oy1yheKnV

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 17, 2025

21:04 , Tara Cobham

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wouldn't get into details about Tuesday's scheduled call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But she sounded optimistic that the talks can help push Russia closer to a deal to end it's three-year war in Ukraine.

"I won't get ahead of those negotiations, but I can say we are on the 10th yard line of peace," Leavitt told reporters Monday. "And we've never been closer to a peace deal than we are in this moment. And the president, as you know, is determined to get one done."

21:00 , Tara Cobham

Italy and Spain made clear on Monday they were not ready to back a European Union proposal to pledge up to €40 billion ($43.67 billion) in military aid for Ukraine this year, with each country contributing according to the size of its economy.

The proposal by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas could mean a doubling of EU military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia's invasion as the bloc and its members gave some €20 billion in 2024.

EU officials say it is vital to keep backing Ukraine on the battlefield amid uncertainty over the future of US support under Donald Trump's administration, which has ended Russia's diplomatic isolation and is pressing both sides to negotiate.

After a meeting on Monday of foreign ministers from the EU's 27 countries in Brussels, Kallas said her proposal had "broad political support" and discussions were now going into details.

The proposal has strong backing from northern and eastern European countries, according to diplomats.

But some southern European capitals have been more reticent, reflecting a division between those geographically closer to Russia that have given more aid to Ukraine and those further away that have given less, as a share of their economies.

Estonia, Denmark and Lithuania lead the field in Europe, having given more than 2 per cent of their GDP in aid to Kyiv between January 2022 and December 2024, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy think tank.

Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus are among those to have given the least, having provided less than 0.5 per cent of their GDP.

Hungary, which has the EU's most Russia-friendly government, is bottom of the EU table.

20:00 , Tara Cobham

A US suspension on sharing military aid and intelligence with Ukraine did not have a "material effect" on Kyiv's ability to fight Russian forces, UK foreign secretary David Lammy has said.

Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel had earlier told the Commons: "It is very welcome that the US military aid and intelligence sharing has resumed and vital that the US and Ukraine continue to work together in the face of this appalling conflict."

She asked Mr Lammy to set out his discussions with US counterparts on the suspension and "his assessments of the consequences caused".

Dame Priti also said: "While we await further details of the proposed 30-day ceasefire, Russia's response shows exactly why the Euro-Atlantic community must be resolute in the face of [Vladimir] Putin's aggression and that he will seek to pursue long-held strategic objectives that he has not achieved on the battlefield through hypothetical negotiations, which means we must be robust."

Mr Lammy said in his response: "I'm pleased to say that our assessment is that that pause as she will know was for a short period, not an extended period, and therefore it has not had a material effect.

"But we were pleased to see that resume, and we were pleased to see what flowed from Jeddah which was the United States, European allies and president [Volodymyr] Zelensky of Ukraine absolutely squared with the need for that ceasefire, and it is for Putin to unconditionally now accept that ceasefire – the ball is in his court."

19:50 , Tara Cobham

Sir Keir Starmer thanked his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney for his "approach to Ukraine" and for joining him on a call on Saturday for his "coalition of the willing" to enforce a peace deal in Ukraine.

"It doesn't surprise me that our two countries see this through a similar lens, with the same objectives," Sir Keir said.

The Canadian premier said his country and the UK have a "remarkable" history built on "shared values".

"We're at a point in history where the world is being reordered, and your leadership, the leadership of the UK, I'll use the example ... of Ukraine, what you've been able to do with President Macron to bring together a coalition of the willing at a crucial time, I think, will be decisive, must be decisive, in coming to a lasting solution there."

19:31 , Tara Cobham

Russian interference networks tried to disrupt the UK general election last year, but did not cause a “notable” impact, the security minister has said.

Efforts to promote pro-Russian messages during the election period were not deemed by officials to have influenced the voting process, which overall saw “relatively low levels” of attempted interference.

Dan Jarvis told the National Security Strategy Joint Committee of the findings as he was quizzed on the Government’s approach to defending democratic institutions on Monday.

Read the full story here:

Russian networks tried to disrupt UK election but did not cause ‘notable’ impact

19:30 , Tara Cobham

UK Foreign secretary David Lammy has said a London meeting this week will be used to discuss the "operational detail" of British troops in Ukraine.

Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel asked about a "peacekeeping initiative" in eastern Europe and said: "What will our contribution to peacekeeping consist of? Over what timeframe would deployment be launched and how will our armed forces be supported?"

Mr Lammy said in his response: "The UK is prepared of course to consider British committing troops on the ground but there must be a US backstop.

"There is a further meeting in London this week to continue to get into the operational detail."

19:19 , Tara Cobham

New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French president Emmanuel Macron have reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine in a statement.

Mr Carney was meeting with the leaders of France and Britain on Monday during his first official overseas trip.

19:00 , Tara Cobham

Foreign secretary David Lammy has said US support will be required to make a coalition designed to deter Russia "credible".

He told the Commons: "We're taking steps to ensure Russia does not come back for more. We know the history – Budapest, Minsk, paper promises betrayed by (Vladimir) Putin.

"Together with France we're establishing a coalition willing to deter Russia from invading again. To be credible, it will need US support.

"But Britain and our allies recognise that we need to step up and this government is leading the effort on multiple fronts."

18:44 , Tara Cobham

David Lammy met US vice president JD Vance in Washington over the weekend, he has told MPs.

The UK foreign secretary said that he discussed the US's now-ended pause on military intelligence sharing and the prospect of a ceasefire with Mr Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio in recent days.

His comments came in a statement to the House of Commons following last week's meeting of G7 foreign ministers – a group which also includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel had asked Mr Lammy to set out his discussions with US counterparts on the suspension and "his assessments of the consequences caused".

Mr Lammy said in his response: "I'm pleased to say that our assessment is that that pause, as she will know, was for a short period, not an extended period, and therefore it has not had a material effect.

"But we were pleased to see that resume, and we were pleased to see what flowed from Jeddah which was the United States, European allies and President (Volodymyr) Zelensky of Ukraine absolutely square with the need for that ceasefire, and it is for Putin to unconditionally now accept that ceasefire - the ball is in his court.

"And I was pleased to be able to discuss these matters with Secretary (Marco) Rubio over the course of the three days at the G7 but also with Vice President (JD) Vance yesterday morning at his residence in Washington."

18:41 , Tara Cobham

King Charles has welcomed Mark Carney to Buckingham Palace, with the new Canadian Prime Minister telling him they had "much to catch up on".

It comes as Canada has been taking part in discussions around a coalition of countries willing to contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

18:37 , Tara Cobham

French president Emmanuel Macron has touched on the French-British plan for securing any ceasefire in Ukraine, and said that "Canada and France are powers of peace, reliable allies, which will take part together in this effort”.

New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was meeting with the leaders of Britain and France on Monday during his first official overseas trip, seeking support from two of Ottawa's oldest allies as US President Donald Trump targets Canada's sovereignty and economy.

18:30 , Tara Cobham

Germany has been "resistant" to seizing frozen Russian assets held in Europe, the UK foreign secretary has said.

David Lammy told the Commons: "It is not the United States that has raised consistent concerns about sovereign assets, it's not the United States in this instance that's more exposed than others.

"It's actually within Europe – Belgian colleagues that have found themselves more exposed and German colleagues that have previously been resistant to this issue, but of course, there's a change of administration in Germany coming, and so we'll see what their assessment is."

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller had asked: "If the US refuses to seize Russian assets, will the Foreign Secretary take a lead with European partners so this support can flow?"

Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel had earlier asked whether "the UK will go further than the £2.26 billion loan already announced off the back of the profits from sanctioned assets".

Mr Lammy replied: "Russia must pay for the damage it is causing Ukraine. I'm delighted that the first £752 million payment of the UK's £2.26 billion loan to be repaid by the profits that have been generated on Russian sanctioned assets so far, but she knows that there is rightfully a discussion about moving from freezing to seizing.

"It's important that if we were to move in that direction that there is unanimity amongst the G7, of course, and that there is a way forward within the European Union for those countries that are most exposed, and as she would expect at pace, we are discussing these very same issues."

18:00 , Tom Watling

UK foreign secretary David Lammy has said Russian president Vladimir Putin must decide whether he is serious about peace by agreeing to a “full and unconditional ceasefire now”.

The foreign secretary said the G7 countries are “united” in supporting Ukraine and its pursuit of peace, telling the Commons: “Now it is Putin who stands in the spotlight, Putin who must answer, Putin who must choose – are you serious, Mr Putin about peace?

“Will you stop the fighting or will you drag your feet and play games, pay lip service to the ceasefire whilst still pummelling Ukraine? My warning to Mr Putin is this: if you are serious, prove it with a full and unconditional ceasefire now.

“And if Putin does not deliver, and I must tell the House that I currently see no sign yet that he is, the G7 meeting helped us ready the tools to get Russia to negotiate seriously. We’re not waiting for the Kremlin. If they reject a ceasefire, we have more cards that we can play.

“We can all see the impact the G7’s unprecedented sanctions have had on Russia’s faltering economy; social spending down, inflation and interest rates sky high. There can be no let up in our efforts.

“In Canada we discussed where we can go further to target their energy and defence sectors, further squeeze their oil revenues and use frozen Russian assets. At the same time we will keep up our support to Ukraine – Europeans clearly need to shoulder our share of this responsibility.”

17:51 , Tara Cobham

A power plant on the border of Ukraine and Russia will be addressed in Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin tomorrow, the White House has said.

17:48 , Tara Cobham

French president Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that US president Donald Trump was committed to conditions that must be met by Russia for a 30-day ceasefire.

Writing in a post on social media platform X, Macron said it was up to Russia to prove that it really wanted peace, and that he had again spoken to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the matter on Monday.

Suite à la réunion de samedi pour la paix et la sécurité en Ukraine et à mon échange avec @POTUS hier, je me suis entretenu avec le Président @ZelenskyyUa aujourd’hui. Le Président Zelensky a eu le courage d’accepter la proposition américaine d’un cessez-le-feu de 30 jours.…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 17, 2025

17:44 , Tara Cobham

French president Emmanuel Macron has reaffirmed that it is up to Russia to prove that Russia truly wants peace.

17:36 , Tara Cobham

French president Emmanuel Macron has said he spoke to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky today.

17:00 , Tom Watling

US medic says Trump’s bluster about peace is more traumatic than horrors of frontline

16:38 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s troops facing ‘huge swarms’ of Russian drones in Kursk retreat

16:15 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, has met with Sir Keir Starmer’s national security advisor, Jonathan Powell, to discuss peace negotiations.

The pair met in New Delhi at a global conference. They “discussed the outcome of the Jeddah meeting [between Ukraine and the US last week] and further diplomatic efforts to achieve a fair peace,” according to a statement from Mr Sybiha on X.

The foreign minister added: “I thanked the United Kingdom for its leadership in forming the coalition of the willing.”

Mr Powell has been leading Sir Keir’s efforts to advise the Ukrainians on repairing relations with the US following a series of spats between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US leader Donald Trump.

Mr Powell visited Kyiv the weekend before the Ukrainian peace delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia to meet with Mr Trump’s team.

In New Delhi, I met with Jonathan Powell, UK Prime Minister's National Security Adviser, to discuss the outcome of the Jeddah meeting and further diplomatic efforts to achieve a fair peace. I thanked the United Kingdom for its leadership in forming the coalition of the willing. pic.twitter.com/FgWkHB77RR

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) March 17, 2025

15:47 , Tom Watling

What to expect as Trump and Putin thrash out a ceasefire in Ukraine

15:19 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s foreign minister has announced that he held talks with his South Korean counterpart to discuss the “serious risk” posed by Russia and North Korea’s deepening ties.

Pyongyang supplied Russia with roughly 12,000 troops last year, which were used to help Vladimir Putin expel the Ukrainian forces holding parts of the border region of Kursk.

In return, Kim Jong-un received oil, air defences and military-technological help.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a security think tank funded by Canberra’s defence ministry, says Russia’s support is “highly valuable” for North Korea.

“Moscow’s assistance to Pyongyang is somewhat destabilising for East Asia, since any increase in North Korean military strength heightens the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea should respond by helping Ukraine,” they wrote last month.

While in New Delhi, I had a good call with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea @FMChoTaeyul. I informed my counterpart about the Jeddah meeting, Ukraine’s commitment to peace, and further steps.We discussed the deepening Russia-DPRK cooperation and the serious risks it…

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) March 17, 2025

15:03 , Tom Watling

Lithuanian prosecutors accused Russia's military intelligence on Monday of orchestrating an arson attack on an Ikea store in Vilnius in May, and suggested it may have been targeted because the chain's logo uses the same colours as Ukraine's flag.

The fire broke out in the store in Lithuania's capital three days before a shopping centre in neighbouring Poland was hit by a blaze that authorities there said they suspected may have been part of a growing Russian sabotage campaign.

Russia denies carrying out sabotage attacks and says the West is stoking anti-Russian feeling by blaming Moscow for every incident. Russia's GRU military intelligence service could not be immediately contacted for comment on Monday.

Investigations had found that the IKEA fire was linked to Russian military intelligence through a chain of more than 20 intermediaries, Arturas Urbelis, from the Lithuanian prosecutor general's office, said.

"The chain includes the organisers, then more organisers for certain goals, then more intermediaries, all down to the perpetrators. It is a multi-stage, very complex system," Urbelis told reporters.

The store was not chosen randomly, he added. IKEA had halted operations in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and "IKEA's colours are the same as Ukraine's flag - this has strong symbolic meaning," Urbelis said. Ukraine's flag and IKEA's logo are blue and yellow.

The Swedish furniture giant said it appreciated the work investigators had done but did not want to comment further as the matter was before a court.

The fire, which was triggered by a timed detonator in the early hours of May 9, was quickly contained, Urbelis said.

Two Ukrainian citizens, one under 20, one under 18 at the time, were offered 10,000 euros and a used BMW vehicle for their efforts, and took numerous trips to Vilnius from Poland to scout and prepare, he added.

One of them was detained afterwards in Lithuania, the other in Poland and both will face trial in those countries, he added.

14:46 , Tom Watling

14:22 , Tom Watling

A senior adviser to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed Russia is willing to wipe out its population for the sake of victory in Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on X that the foundations of Russia’s success on the battlefield are “the corpses of their own soldiers”. He described their policy of using waves of infantry to soak up gunfire in close combat as the use of “semi-slaves”.

“If the aggressor is rewarded with Ukrainian territories for this bloodbath, it will inevitably encourage future wars. Without a doubt,” he wrote.

“But it will also reinforce the Kremlin’s belief in the effectiveness of wave assaults using semi-slaves—even in this century.

“The almost inevitable future aggression against Europe will wipe out what remains of the empire’s demographic potential. The beast devours everything around it—and itself.”

The war against #Ukraine has revealed Russia’s significant lag in military thought and technology. While there is still an overwhelming amount of, pardon the expression, “cannon fodder,” modern technology is in short supply. In the 21st century, Russian generals wage war with a…

— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 17, 2025

13:58 , Tom Watling

How ‘America First’ MAGA turned the Republican Party into an ‘arm of the Kremlin’

13:43 , Tom Watling

North Korean ‘suicidal attacks’ softened up Ukrainian troops for Putin’s Kursk push

13:27 , Tom Watling

Starmer says plans for military support for Ukraine now entering ‘operational phase’

13:11 , Tom Watling

A “significant number” of countries are willing to provide peackeeping troops in Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.

More than 30 countries are expected to be involved in the so-called 'coalition of the willing' to support Ukraine, the spokesperson said.

“The contribution capabilities will vary, but this will be a significant force, with a significant number of countries providing troops,” the spokesperson told reporters.

13:00 , Tom Watling

Zelenskyy names new chief of general staff to enhance Ukraine's combat effectiveness

12:47 , Tom Watling

12:36 , Tom Watling

The ‘nyet’ factor: Will Putin accept a ceasefire in Ukraine?

12:24 , Tom Watling

Poland has endorsed Lithuania’s claims that Russia’s security services were responsible for an arson attack in Vilnius and Warsaw.

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said Lithuania had confirmed their suspicions of Russian involvement.

Dear allies, the investigation of the Lithuanian prosecutor’s office has confirmed our suspicions that responsible for setting fires to shopping centres in Vilnius and Warsaw are the Russian secret services. Good to know before negotiations. Such is the nature of this state.

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) March 17, 2025

12:05 , Tom Watling

Germany provided a new military aid package for Ukraine. We are grateful to the German government and people for their unwavering support and readiness for decisive action.🇺🇦🤝🇩🇪The package includes:◾️24 MRAPs◾️3 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns◾️IRIS-T SLM… pic.twitter.com/R2wvQRxdJW

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 17, 2025

11:35 , Tom Watling

Putin has given Trump a clear message – he still wants to win

11:17 , Tom Watling

11:02 , Tom Watling

Putin’s troops say they’re close to retaking Kursk – here’s why it matters

10:46 , Tom Watling

Trump’s explanation for failing to end Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours as promised

10:32 , Tom Watling

The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian president Vladimir Putin will talk to US president Donald Trump by phone tomorrow.

Trump had said earlier that he planned to speak to Putin on Tuesday and discuss ending the war in Ukraine after what he said had been positive talks between Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, and the Russian leader in Moscow.

Asked about the planned call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Yes, that's how it is. Such a conversation is planned for Tuesday.”

10:28 , Tom Watling

Europe’s latest tranche of loans approved for Ukraine is “further proof” of its united stand with Kyiv against Russia, Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal has claimed.

The European Union announced this morning it had approved the third instalment from the Ukraine Facility, which was valued at €3.5 billion (£2.9 billion). The programme, which entered into force on 1 March last year, will provide Ukraine with up to €50bn in grants and loans to Ukraine until 2027. Thus far, Ukraine has received around €20bn.

Mr Shmyhal described this as “further proof of Europe's strategic support for our state”.

He wrote on X: “EU countries are strengthening our resilience and accelerating European integration.

“Ukraine is not only fighting for its freedom today, but we are also shaping the future of a strong and united Europe. We are counting on the swift disbursement of funds. Together, we will ensure the future of peace and security in Europe.”

The EU Council's decision to disburse 3.5 billion euros under the Ukraine Facility is further proof of Europe's strategic support for our state. EU countries are strengthening our resilience and accelerating European integration. Ukraine is not only fighting for its freedom…

— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) March 17, 2025

10:18 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian firefighters and emergency workers have been pictured battling flames in the northeast Kharkiv region following a Russian drone attack overnight.

The strikes hit a storehouse in the Chuhuyiv district, roughly 20 miles southeast of the region’s namesake capital. A subsequent fire engulfed an area of around one kilometre squared.

10:08 , Tom Watling

Russia's military intelligence service was behind an arson attack on an Ikea store in Vilnius in 2024, a prosecutor in the Baltic country has revealed.

The attack was one of several fires last year across Europe and in the UK at warehouses and shopping malls.

European security services, including in the UK, suggested at the time that this was a concerted Russian effort.

09:59 , Tom Watling

Foreign minister Cho Tae-yul held a phone call on Monday with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha and discussed the handling of North Korean prisoners of war, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Cho reaffirmed Seoul's efforts to support the Ukrainian people and said Seoul would accept North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine if they wish to go to South Korea, the ministry said.

09:44 , Tom Watling

What are Putin and Zelensky’s demands to agree 30-day Ukraine ceasefire?

09:31 , Tom Watling

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has claimed Kyiv and its European allies must make Russia accept peace.

“I was pleased to take part in the European Union Foreign Affairs Council and underscore Ukraine’s commitment to peace, demonstrated in Jeddah,” he wrote on X.

“Now is the time to use all of our diplomatic tools to make Russia accept these peace steps. Unconditionally, like Ukraine did.”

I was pleased to take part in the EU Foreign Affairs Council and underscore Ukraine’s commitment to peace, demonstrated in Jeddah.Now is the time to use all of our diplomatic tools to make Russia accept these peace steps. Unconditionally, like Ukraine did.I also focused on… pic.twitter.com/Y19kJ4vvmL

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) March 17, 2025

09:26 , Tom Watling

Keith Kellogg’s return to Ukraine diplomacy shows Trump’s unpredictability

09:13 , Tom Watling

US medic says Trump’s bluster about peace is more traumatic than horrors of frontline

09:00 , Tom Watling

08:51 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief adviser has vowed that Kyiv will fight back against Russia for as long as Vladimir Putin refuses to cease attacking Ukraine.

It comes as Russia fired another massive salvo of drones overnight.

“Russia continues to attack, and Ukraine is responding to the attacks and will respond until Putin stops the war,” wrote Andriy Yermak on X.

Росія продовжує атакувати, Україна відповідає на атаки і відповідатиме, поки путін не припинить війну.

— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) March 17, 2025

08:46 , Tom Watling

08:40 , Tom Watling

08:34 , Tom Watling

Revealed: Ukraine’s red lines for any peace deal with Putin

08:26 , Tom Watling

Ukraine's air defence units shot down 90 of 174 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on Monday, the air force said.

It said 70 drones were lost, referring to the Ukrainian military using electronic warfare to redirect them.

“Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Sumy, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions were affected by the Russian attack,” the military said on the Telegram messenger app.

Russia has been attacking Odesa and the Odesa region with drones and missiles on a daily basis for three weeks. The region is key for Ukrainian maritime exports.

One civilian was injured during the attack, which damaged a kindergarten, a private residential house, a shop and a passenger car, Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

Kiper said about 500 residents in the suburbs of Odesa were left without electricity after drones hit energy infrastructure, providing no further details.

08:20 , Chris Stevenson

The EU’s foreign affairs council will meet this morning to discuss security, with the focus being on Ukraine and the European efforts to bolster Kyiv outside of cooperation with the US.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Lithuania’s foreign minister, Kęstutis Budrys said: “This is the strategic moment for Europe. The decisions of today will shape the security of tomorrow."

08:05 , Chris Stevenson

While Russia complains about the possibility of Western peacekeepers in Ukraine, French President Emmanual Macron has said Vladimir Putin and Russia has no say in the matter.

Le Parisien cited Mr Macron as saying that Moscow’s agreement wasn't needed for such a deployment. “Ukraine is sovereign. If it asks for Allied forces to be on its territory, it’s not up to Russia to accept or not," he said.

The French president spoke of participating nations each deploying several thousand troops to “key points” in Ukraine. Their missions could include providing training and supporting Ukrainian defences, to demonstrate long-term support for Kyiv.