Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv to push air and sea ceasefire at US-led Saudi Arabia talks – UK Times

Volodymyr Zelensky has landed in Jeddah ahead of peace talks between Ukraine and the US tomorrow.

The Ukrainian president is not leading his country’s delegation at the talks – that’s the job of his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, alongside Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

They will meet with the American team led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following a “constructive call” between Rubio and Sybiha on Friday.

Both sides hope to find an agreement for ending the war, but the talks come after a tense few weeks of US-Ukrainian relations following a disaterous White House meeting between Donald Trump, his vice president JD Vance and Zelensky.

Ukraine’s military says it has struck two Russian oil refineries in the past two days, in what it described as a strategic hit on Russian supplies.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a translated post on social media that they struck an oil refinery in the Ryazan region and the next day hit a refinery in the Samara region.

The staff post said the Ryazan facility produced 840,000 tons of high-grade jet fuel, but details of the actual damage were being clarified.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his hopes for peace today ahead of talks between US and Ukrainian officials on a potential peace agreement tomorrow.

Zelensky was heading to Saudi Arabia today ahead of tomorrow’s talks in Jeddah to meet with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

In a post on X, Zelensky wrote: “Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason it continues is Russia.

“I am grateful to every unit and every brigade defending Ukraine’s positions, ensuring the destruction of the occupiers, and making every effort to provide our country with the strength needed to bring peace closer.”

The US expects substantial progress in talks with Ukraine this week and hopes that a deal on critical minerals can be signed, president Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday. US negotiators were set to meet with Ukrainians this week in Saudi Arabia.

“I think that we’re going over there with an expectation that we’re going to make substantial progress,” Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News.

Asked if he thought Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky would return to the US to sign a minerals deal this week, Witkoff said, “I am really hopeful. All the signs are very, very positive.”

Witkoff said among important items on the table will be security protocols for the Ukrainians and territorial issues.

Intelligence sharing also will be discussed at this week’s meetings, Witkoff told Fox News just before leaving for the Middle East for talks on Gaza. However, he said, the US never shut off intelligence for anything defensive that Ukrainians needed.

With Russia struggling to make gains in the east of the Ukraine, the sudden assault in the Kursk region looks like a coordinated move between the Kremlin and the White House, World Affairs editor Sam Kiley reports from Kyiv.

Intelligence sharing will form part of tomorrow’s peace talks between the US and Ukraine, Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff said.

The US also hopes a critical minerals deal can be signed during the talks in Saudi Arabia, Witkoff said, while adding the US expects substantial progress at the summit.

Speaking on Fox News just before leaving for the talks, Witkoff said intelligence sharing will form part of the discussions. However, he said, the United States never shut off intelligence for anything defensive that Ukrainians needed.

Ukrainian and US officials are preparing to sit down together tomorrow in Saudia Arabia to discuss a pathway to peace.

It comes in the wake of an extraordinary public argument between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and JD Vance at the White House less than a fortnight ago, where the US president claimed Zelensky was not ready to end the fighting.

Ahead of the meeting, Trump has been both upbeat and negative about the outlook, saying he believed there would be “a lot of progress” but also that he was not sure if Ukraine would survive the war.

World leaders will attempt to make further progress on plans to put peacekeeping troops on the ground in Ukraine at an upcoming virtual summit hosted by the UK on Saturday, Downing Street said.

So far, 20 countries have expressed interest in being part of the “Coalition of the willing”, a spokesperson for the prime minister said while reiterating Britain’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.

“We’re fully committed to working with Ukraine, supporting Ukraine, working with the United States and our informal partners to drive progress towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and that is our focus,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said Russia’s renewed assault at the weekend was a reminder of the country’s “barbaric and violent actions on a sovereign country”.

They continued: “We will continue to support Ukrainian people in their engagement for freedom, and we’ll continue to support Ukraine through the talks this week.”

Sir Keir Starmer will host another urgent meeting on Ukraine this weekend where world leaders will discuss further assistance for Kyiv.

The virtual meeting will build on the prime minister’s summit earlier this month, where he announced a “coalition of the willing” to support Kyiv.

A spokesperson for the prime minister said the talks were vital for the collective security of Europe.

When asked whether Russian assets would be used to fund aid for Ukraine, the spokesperson said:

“We are working with G7 partners to look at the possibilities in this space.

“ We are very clear that Russia must pay for the damage it is causing Ukraine, so we will pursue all routes to that end, alongside our allies.”