Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv officials to meet Trump aides in Saudi Arabia
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says ‘realistic proposals on the table’ in talks; Donald Trump hints US may be close to lifting intelligence pause. What we know on day 1,111
Top Ukrainian officials are due in Saudi Arabia to meet the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and other Trump aides who were departing for Jeddah on Sunday. Andriy Yermak, the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian presidential office, is expected to lead Kyiv’s delegation. Zelenskyy is also expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia, on Monday, to meet with its crown prince. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “fully committed” to a constructive dialogue in Saudi Arabia. “Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively.” In February, US officials met about the war with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia without Ukrainian representatives present.
Donald Trump said on Sunday that he expected good results from the talks. He told reporters that his administration had “just about” lifted an intelligence pause on Ukraine, and was looking at a lot of things with respect to tariffs on Russia. Trump said he thought Ukraine would sign a minerals agreement with the US. “I want them to want peace,” Trump said.
A large warehouse was on fire in Russia’s Samara region after a Ukrainian drone attack, Russian authorities said on Monday morning. Reports also emerged of an attack targeting the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery, citing reports of drone flights and an explosion from the refinery’s direction.
Zelenskyy said Russia had carried out “hundreds of attacks” against Ukrainians last week. About 1,200 guided aerial bombs, nearly 870 attack drones and more than 80 missiles of different types had been used.
There were mixed reports about the outcome after Russian special forces sneaked through a disused gas pipeline to attack Ukrainian units holding territory in Russia’s Kursk region. Ukraine’s military general staff confirmed on Saturday evening that Russian “sabotage and assault groups” used the pipeline in a bid to gain a foothold outside Sudzha. They were attacked with rockets and artillery after being “detected in a timely manner … The enemy’s losses in Sudzha are very high”. Russian Telegram channels showed photos of what they said were special forces wearing gas masks and moving along what looked like the inside of a large pipe. Other videos showed what were said to be the Russians being observed from the air and attacked. The footage could not be verified.
Russia on Sunday announced it had captured territory in Ukraine’s Sumy region, across the border from Kursk, for the first time since 2022 in a cross-border offensive. Russia’s defence ministry also said on Sunday that its troops had taken four villages north and north-west of Sudzha, the closest 12km (7.5 miles) from its centre. The claim came a day after the reported the Russian capture of three other villages near Sudzha.
Ukrainian drones targeted oil infrastructure in southern and central Russia overnight into early Sunday, Russian officials and Telegram channels said. A drone struck an oil depot in Cheboksary, a Russian city on the Volga River about 1,000km (620 miles) from the border, the local governor said. Footage online showed what appeared to be a fire at or near one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, in the southern city of Ryazan. Shot, a news channel on Telegram, said residents heard explosions near the refinery. The local governor, Pavel Malkov, confirmed a Ukrainian drone attack in the area.
France said on Sunday that it would use profits from frozen Russian assets to finance an additional €195m ($212m) in arms for Ukraine, the latest in a series of military aid deliveries funded through the assets. In an interview with the La Tribune Dimanche newspaper, the French foreign minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said Paris would send more 155mm artillery shells and glide bombs for the Mirage 2000 fighter jets it gave to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy made a quip on Sunday as he gave a speech at an awards ceremony: “Sorry I’m not in a suit.” It brought smiles and applause. The president was dressed in a black outfit with Ukraine’s trident symbol similar to what he wore during his acrimonious exchange with the US president at the White House in February.
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