Zelenskyy lands in Saudi Arabia ahead of Ukraine peace talks

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Ukraine's soldiers in Kursk not facing encirclement, army chief says

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukraine's soldiers fighting in Russia's Kursk region were not at risk of encirclement. 

This comes amid reports that Russian forces have been rapidly regaining ground.

"A number of settlements on the border, the names of which appear in the reports of Russian propagandists, no longer actually exist — they have been destroyed by the aggressor's shelling," Syrskyi said.

Russia's counteroffensive, which has included North Korean troops, resulted in the country recapturing about two thirds of the region it had originally lost to the Ukrainian army in last August's offensive, which dealt an embarrassing blow to the Kremlin.

Syrskyi also said the Ukrainian army is bolstering its forces involved in the fighting with Russia in Kursk.

"The units are taking timely measures to manoeuvre to favourable defence lines," the army chief said.

The dynamics in the fighting were "under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces," he added, with the same being true for the situation in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region.

In Sumy, Moscow claims to have captured a village which lies just several kilometers from one of Ukraine's vital supply routes to the soldiers still in Kursk.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

German spy chief tells DW he hopes US will change course to 'help protect Ukraine'

Bruno Kahl said the Trump administration's approach to nearly every conflict meant concerns over international security were 'increasing'Image: Rosalia Romaniec/DW

The head of Germany's foreign intelligence service (BND) has told DW he is confident that intelligence sharing with the United States will continue, despite Washington's new approach towards the Ukraine war.

"We very much hope that the Americans will soon be at our side again to help protect Ukraine from the aggression coming from the east," BND president Bruno Kahl said.

In the meantime, Kahl said the spy agency was working closely with other EU intelligence services "to see what we can do to keep Ukraine as informed as possible and to equip it so that it can defend itself."

Read DW's full interview with BND President Bruno Kahl here.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Rubio optimistic ahead of Ukraine meetings

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed optimism ahead of meeting Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.

The top US diplomat landed in Jeddah on Monday and was expected to meet a delegation fromUkraine on Tuesday.

He said the Trump administration needed to understand Ukraine's position and have a general idea of what concessions the country is willing to make for the war with Russia to end.

He also stressed that the details of a planned minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv still needed to be worked out.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also arrived in Jeddah on Monday and was expected to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his one-day visit. The Ukrainian leader will not take part in Tuesday's talks.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Trump envoy says all signs 'very positive' that a minerals deal could be signed

The US expects substantial progress in talks with Ukraine this week and hopes that a deal on critical minerals can be signed, Steve Witkoff, the US envoy for the Middle East, said.

"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 Zelenskyy 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."

Zelenksyy also said earlier this month that he was ready to sign the deal, days after his fiery exchange with US President Donald Trump and US Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.

The Ukrainian leader was meant to sign the deal over US rights to Ukraine's untapped mineral resources during his visit to Washington. But the deal was put on hold after the meeting between the leaders devolved into a shouting match in front of journalists.

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

US and Ukrainian officials are meeting in Saudi Arabia this week for talks on ending the war in Ukraine.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Military officials to gather for talks on creating an international security force for Ukraine

Military officials from more than 30 nations are set to take part in Paris talks on the creation of an international security force for Ukraine, the Associated Press quoted a French military official as saying.

The UK and France have carried forward negotiations to secure lasting peace in Ukraine, separate from talks between the US and Russia.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier that the UK and European countries were moving ahead with a "coalition of the willing" to provide Ukraine with the security it needs, along with the US, to deter a Russian attack in the event of a ceasefire there.

The long list of participants in Tuesday's discussions will also include Asian and Oceania nations that will join remotely, the French official said.

The official plans for the force remain shrouded in secrecy, but could include heavy weaponry and weapons stockpiles that could be rushed within hours or days to aid in Ukraine's defense in the event of a Russian attack that breaks a truce, the official said.
 

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

UK calls Russia expulsion of British diplomats 'baseless'

The UK has accused Russia of making "baseless" accusations after Moscow expelled two diplomats for spying.

Russia said the diplomats had given false information to gain entry into Russia.

The tit-for-tat exchange comes as relations between the UK and the rest of Europe continue to strain over support for Ukraine.

Both the UK and France have said they would be willing to send troops to uphold any ceasefire in Russia's war with Ukraine, angering Moscow.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Russian forces advance in Kursk — reports

Russian forces advanced further into Kursk on Monday, according to military bloggers.

Ukraine pushed into the western Russian region last August, hoping to use its incursion as a bargaining chip for taking back Ukrainian territory from Russia and improving its hand in potential ceasefire talks.

But Ukrainian troops have faced many challenges since then and have struggled to hold on to parts of Kursk.

Ukraine's army said Sunday that Russian forces used a gas pipeline to launch a surprise raid in one area .

Russia's Defense Ministry also on Sunday said its forces had captured four settlements in a couple of days.

A Russian war blog, Two Majors, said Russian forces had cleared the settlement of Ivashkovsky and Russian units were advancing on the so-called "cauldron" in Kursk from at least seven directions.

Yuri Podolyaka, a Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger, said he was having trouble keeping up with events as the Russian advance was so swift. He said Ukrainian units were trapped in several pockets in Kursk.

"Over the past four days, Russian troops have cleared as much territory in the Kursk region as they sometimes could not even clear in a couple of months," said a Russian blogger close to the Defense Ministry who goes by the name Rybar.

"The front has been pierced," said Rybar, adding that Russian forces were curling up inside the Ukrainian border to cut off the main roads leading out of Kursk to Ukraine's Sumy region. 

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

UK advising Ukraine on how to manage peace talks — reports

The UK is advising Ukraine on how to manage peace talks ahead of a meeting between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, according to British media reports.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's national security adviser Jonathan Power over the weekend, according to The Times.

Alex Norris, UK parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, said on a TV show on Sky News that his country's role was to ensure that Ukraine is in the "strongest position possible," when asked about the report.

Russia stepped up ground and air attacks on Ukraine after the US said it was halting sharing intelligence with Kyiv.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

There is 'political will' to restore US-Russian relations — Kremlin

Russia sees restoring ties with the US as a long, hard task but believes there is political will on both sides to move forward, the Kremlin said.

"We are at the initial stage of the path to restoring our bilateral relations. The road ahead is quite long and difficult, but at least the two presidents have expressed political will in this direction," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov said it was important to determine whether Ukraine, which is due to hold diplomatic talks with US officials beginning Tuesday in Saudi Arabia about how to end the war in the country, really wanted peace or not.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is willing to negotiate a peace deal with Russia as soon as possible, but is seeking guarantees from the US and Europe to underpin the future security of his country. 

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Ukraine seeking peace since 'very first second' of war, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy has said his country "has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason that the war is continuing is because of Russia."

The Ukrainian leader is set to arrive in Saudi Arabia late Monday to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

American and Ukrainian officials are then set for meetings in Saudi Arabia to discuss a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. 

American officials will use the talks to decide whether Kyiv is interested in a "realistic" peace deal, one of them told Reuters news agency.

They are also interested to see whether talks will repair the Ukrainian leader's relations with US President Donald Trump.

Zelenksyy will not be present for talks set for the week.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Poland's Tusk calls for 'respect' after Starlink spat

Following an online dispute between Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and his US counterpart Marco Rubio on the social media platform X, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, without naming names, called for "respect" among friends.

The dispute broke out over the use of Starlink internet services in Ukraine, which Poland pays for. Starlink is owned by Elon Musk, the billionaire and close ally of Donald Trump.

Rubio lashed out at Sikorski after the Polish minister suggested switching to a different provider if Starlink becomes unreliable.

The US Secretary of State said Sikorski was "making things up" and told him to "say thank you," pointing to the important role Starlink has played in Ukraine.

The Polish prime minister's intervention on Monday appeared to admonish Rubio.

"True leadership means respect for partners and allies. Even for the smaller and weaker ones. Never arrogance. Dear friends, think about it," Tusk said in a post, also on X.

Musk has also been involved in the spat, calling Sikorski a "small man" and saying he would never turn off Starlink services in Ukraine, despite the Trump administration already having suspended military aid and information sharing with Kyiv.

Poland pays $50 million (€46 million) to keep Ukraine's Starlink service running. Franco-British satellite operator Eutelsat saw its shares jump 650% last week amid speculation that Poland and Ukraine may be considering a switch.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Russia says no talks planned with US this week

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has denied reports that Russian and US officials would meet for talks in Saudi Arabia this week.

Zakharova said a meeting was "not planned" and that Russia had not received any information from the US side, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

The Trump administration provoked anger among US allies, including Ukraine, after the US president opened up direct communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has had a public falling out with Trump, was on his way to Saudi Arabia on Monday to hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Russia expels 2 from UK Embassy in Moscow

Two individuals connected to the UK embassy in Moscow, pictured here, have been expelled [FILE: January 31, 2020]Image: Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS/dpa/picture alliance

Russia's FSB security service on Monday said two UK "diplomats" were being expelled, accusing them of carrying out espionage activities.

The two individuals in question are the UK's second secretary and the husband of the first secretary.

The FSB said "counterintelligence work had revealed an undeclared British intelligence presence under the cover of the national embassy."

Russia's Foreign Ministry also said it had summoned the representative of the UK Embassy in Moscow.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Ukraine says it shot down majority of overnight Russian drones

Kyiv said on Monday that Russia had fired 176 drones at Ukraine overnight.

The Ukrainian air force reported that it had shot down 130 drones in a statement on Telegram.

Another 42 did not reach their targets, the military added.

It wasn't immediately apparent what happened to the remaining four drones.

03/10/2025March 10, 2025

Ukrainian drone strikes spark fire in Russia's Samara

Alex Berry | Saim Dušan Inayatullah

Ukraine has continued to target sites inside of Russia even after the US under President Trump suspended military aid and intelligence sharing.

An overnight attack hit a warehouse in Russia's Samara region, authorities said on Monday. Firefighters were reportedly tackling a blaze there.

"There are no injuries," Russia's Emergency Ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. It said the fire was in Novokuibyshevsk and that it was limited to an area of 1,600 sqm (17,000 sq ft).

Andriy Kovalenko, an official of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said that an oil refinery had been hit in Novokuibyshevsk.

The Russian Defense Ministry added that three drones had also been shot down over Samara.

The reports could not be independently verified.

The Samara region lies in the southeast of the European part of Russia, far from the border with Ukraine.