Ukraine-Russia newest: Moscow hit by ‘largest drone attack’ forward of Zelensky’s Saudi peace talks with US | EUROtoday

Contacts between Russia and the United States at the moment are fairly intensive, Russian international ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by the RIA information company.

Ms Zakharova was commenting on media stories that Donald Trump’s particular envoy Steve Witkoff plans to go to Moscow this week to satisfy President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on 10 March, discussing Saudi Arabia’s potential position in mediating the discharge of Ukrainian prisoners of struggle (POWs) and kids forcibly taken to Russia.

The talks got here forward of a key assembly between US and Ukrainian officers on 11 March, the place Mr Zelensky’s group will define a framework for potential peace negotiations with Russia. While his delegation will stay in Jeddah for discussions, Mr Zelensky himself is just not anticipated to take part.

Saudi Arabia has beforehand facilitated prisoner exchanges between Kyiv and Moscow, positioning itself as a key middleman within the battle. The leaders additionally explored potential safety ensures for Ukraine and cooperation on protection manufacturing.

Mr Zelensky emphasised the necessity for “a just and lasting peace,” underscoring Ukraine’s push to strengthen its navy capabilities whereas in search of diplomatic resolutions to the struggle.

Ukraine might be lowered to a buffer zone – moderately than an actual nation – underneath Trump’s plan for ‘peace’, writes Mark Almond. There at the moment are severe questions over the US president’s method to diplomacy.

Nate Vance is reported to have spent three years preventing in Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Now, in an interview with French outlet Le Figaro, he accused his cousin and President Donald Trump of ambushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the course of the now notorious Oval Office blow-up, stories my colleague Gustaf Killander.

The Ukrainian Air Force stated on Tuesday it shot down a ballistic Iskander-M missile and 79 of 126 drones launched by Russia in an in a single day assault.

Another 35 drones didn’t attain their targets seemingly attributable to digital warfare countermeasures, it stated.

The air pressure didn’t specify what occurred to the remaining 12 drones.

Until final week, Russia was not successful. Ukraine was not successful both. There was a stalemate within the three-year battle which Moscow was unlikely to have the ability to maintain for for much longer.

Ukrainian sources stated US intelligence assessments despatched to Washington mirror the view that the nation is just not on its knees and that, if it have been capable of maintain the road towards Russia for one more 18 months, they consider they will collapse the Russian military fully, writes our world affairs editor Sam Kiley.

Ukraine has key questions it desires answered as military chiefs from over 30 nations arrive on Tuesday in Paris for talks on creating a world pressure to discourage future Russian aggression as soon as a ceasefire is established.

They embrace troop measurement, location and crucially, navy choices within the occasion of a transgression.

The Paris assembly is essentially the most important fruits to this point of French and British efforts to rally nations underneath a so-called “coalition of the willing” to safeguard Ukraine by establishing a reassurance and deterrence pressure to dissuade Russia from invading once more.

The talks will embrace practically all 32 nations of the Nato alliance — notably with out the United States — in addition to Commonwealth nations and Asian powers Japan and South Korea, stated a French navy official. Participants shall be invited to spell out what their militaries would possibly have the ability and prepared to contribute be that troops, weapons or different help.

Some Ukrainian officers are cautious of any deal with out clearly recognized safety ensures. For them, a key query is how such a coalition will reply if Russia violates any future ceasefire settlement. What type of navy response would observe a large-scale offensive by Russia and the way shortly will that response materialize?

Western and Ukrainian officers stated that, whereas there may be loads of considering and resolve, there isn’t a definitive plan for navy choices but. First, they have to assess what prepared nations would possibly have the ability to supply.

Russia’s air defence models destroyed 337 Ukrainian drones in a single day, with 91 of them over the Moscow area, Russia’s defence ministry stated on Tuesday.

The ministry stated in a submit on its Telegram channel that 126 drones have been destroyed over the Kursk area that borders Ukraine, whereas the remainder of the drones have been downed over eight different Russian areas.

Russia’s aviation watchdog stated flights have been suspended in any respect 4 of Moscow’s airports to make sure air security after alleged drone assaults from Ukraine.

Two different airports, within the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod areas, each east of Moscow, have been additionally closed. Vorobyov stated that no less than seven flats have been broken and residents compelled to evacuate in a multi-storey constructing within the Ramenskoye district of the Moscow area, about 50km southeast of the Kremlin.

Rail infrastructure on the prepare station within the Domodedovo district, about 35km south of Moscow, was broken as results of falling drone particles, RIA information company reported.

Baza, a information Telegram channel that’s near Russia’s safety providers, and different Russian information telegram channels posted movies of a number of residential fires round Moscow that they stated have been sparked by the assaults.

The strikes got here because the United States is pushing for an finish to the three-year struggle that Russia began with its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Tuesday, US and Ukrainian groups are scheduled to satisfy for peace talks in Saudi Arabia.

Governors of Ryazan area, simply southeast of the Moscow area, and the Belgorod area on border with Ukraine, additionally stated that their areas have been underneath drone assaults. Several settlements within the Belgorod area have been left with out energy, the regional governor stated.

A November drone assault on Moscow, the most important within the struggle at that time, led to the destruction of no less than 34 drones. At least one civilian was killed and dozens of houses wrecked across the capital.

Kyiv has usually stated that its strikes inside Russia are aimed toward destroying infrastructure key to Moscow’s general struggle efforts and are in response to Russia’s continued bombing of Ukraine.

Both sides deny focusing on civilians within the assaults, however 1000’s of them have died within the battle to this point, the overwhelming majority of them Ukrainian.