A senior member of Donald Trump’s administration will travel to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, it has been reported.
Steve Witkoff, who helped broker the Gaza ceasefire and has been heavily involved with Ukraine peace negotiations, will travel to the Russian capital.
Following his first phone call with Putin last month, Mr Trump indicated he could soon meet with the Russian dictator in Saudi Arabia, but cautioned that no formal decision has been reached.
Earlier Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, suggested Ukraine may be forced to cede land to Moscow as part of any agreement to end the war.
“I think both sides need to come to an understanding that there’s no military solution to this situation,” Mr Rubio told reporters as he flew to Saudi Arabia for crunch talks with Ukrainian officials on Tuesday.
Mr Rubio also said the American ban on sending weapons and intelligence to Ukraine could be lifted tomorrow if the Saudi meeting goes well.
10:04 PM GMT
That’s all for today
Thank you for tuning in to our Ukraine live blog. We’ll be back tomorrow to bring you all the latest as peace talks get under way in Saudi Arabia.
This live blog is now closed.
09:35 PM GMT
Ukraine must cede territory in peace talks, says US
Ukraine must give up land to Russia as part of any agreement to end the war, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has suggested.
“I think both sides need to come to an understanding that there’s no military solution to this situation,” Mr Rubio told reporters as he flew to Saudi Arabia for crunch talks with Ukrainian officials on Tuesday.
“The Russians can’t conquer all of Ukraine, and obviously it’ll be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time period to sort of force the Russians back all the way to where they were in 2014.”
08:45 PM GMT
Musk blames Ukrainian hacker for X outage
Elon Musk has blamed a Ukraine-based hacker for a string of outages that took X offline.
The X owner and Trump adviser has blamed a cyberattack originating in Ukraine for the outages which affected millions of social media users over a several hours earlier today.
“There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against X,” Mr Musk wrote on the platform. “We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources. Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved. Tracing …”
The Tesla billionaire later told Fox News that the company was “still not sure exactly what happened” but claimed the attack came from IP addresses “originating in the Ukraine area”.
08:21 PM GMT
Putin acting ‘increasingly uninhibited’, warns Macron
Vladimir Putin is acting in an “increasingly uninhibited” fashion, Emmanuel Macron has warned.
The French president said the Russians leaders “attempts at destabilisation” in Moldova were becoming more flagrant, following a meeting with his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu visited Paris.
“We have decided to again reinforce our cooperation to increase Moldova’s resilience faced with foreign interference,” Mr Macron said as both signed a deal to cooperate on detecting digital disinformation.
Ms Sandu was sworn in for a second term in December, after Russia was accused of interfering in elections in the former Soviet republic that borders Ukraine.
The country is home to the Russian exclave of Transnistria and is considered vulnerable to future acts of aggression from Putin.
08:12 PM GMT
Pictured: Rubio sits down with Saudi crown prince
07:58 PM GMT
Three dead in Ukrainian strike on Kursk, says governor
Three people were killed and nine others wounded in a Ukrainian strike on a shopping centre in Kursk, the governor has said.
The evening strike targeted the village of Belaya, located in the region’s Belovsky district, local governor Alexander Khinshtein wrote on Telegram.
Russian forces advanced further into Kursk on Monday as part of a major encirclement operation aimed at forcing thousands of Ukrainian soldiers to either flee or surrender.
Ukrainian government sources have said they believe Russia’s breakthrough in the region – a key bargaining chip in peace negotiations – was a consequence of Donald Trump’s decision to pause the sharing of US intelligence with Kyiv.
07:30 PM GMT
Ukraine says it hit Russian oil refineries in two regions
Ukraine’s military announced it has struck Russian oil refineries in two regions over the past two days.
Ukraine’s general staff said in a statement that the strikes targeted facilities in the Ryazan region and the Novokuibyshev refinery in the Samara region.
Both facilities supplied fuel for the Russian army, according to the statement.
“The Ryazan Refinery produced an average of 840,000 tons of high-grade fuel for jet engines.”
The military added that fuel from the Novokuibyshev refinery was transported via pipeline and rail to Russian armed forces in northern Ukraine.
07:22 PM GMT
Zelensky thanks Europe for Ukraine support
Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked European allies for their support in a social media message posted.
Mr Zelensky wrote on X:
New defense packages, strengthened air defense, and even more investments in our defense industry. Over the past few weeks, European countries have made dozens of decisions to increase support for Ukraine.
Strong positions on the frontline and strong diplomacy must work together to achieve a just and lasting peace. Under U.S. leadership and in cooperation with all of Europe, this is absolutely achievable. Peace is our shared goal.
We are grateful to all partners who, together with Ukraine, bring peace closer for all our people every day!
Mr Zelensky is currently in Saudi Arabia where Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet with the US secretary of state Marco Rubio to discuss potential steps toward ending the war.
07:03 PM GMT
US to oppose anti-Russia language at G7, Rubio says
Marco Rubio said the United States would oppose “antagonistic” language toward Russia when G7 foreign ministers meet in Canada this week.
“Ultimately we can’t sign on to any communique that’s not consistent with our position to bring both sides to the table,” Mr Rubio told reporters while flying to Saudi Arabia for talks with Ukraine.
The position is not about “taking anyone’s side, but because we feel like antagonistic language sometimes makes it harder to bring parties to the table,” Mr Rubio said.
He acknowledged that other G7 members – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – have different views.
“We’re the only ones right now that seem to be in a position to make talks like that possible,” he added.
The G7 meeting begins Wednesday in Charlevoix, Quebec.
06:47 PM GMT
Pictured: Saudi officials welcome Zelensky in Jeddah
06:24 PM GMT
Ukraine to propose ceasefire in Saudi talks with US
Ukraine will propose a ceasefire covering the Black Sea and long-range missile strikes, as well as prisoner releases, in talks with US secretary of state Marco Rubio in Saudi Arabia, two senior Ukrainian officials said.
The officials said Ukraine’s delegation is ready to sign an agreement giving the United States access to Ukraine’s rare minerals during Tuesday’s meeting in Jeddah, a deal president Donald Trump has sought.
The measures come as Kyiv works to repair relations following the Feb. 28 Oval Office row between Volodymyr Zelensky and Mr Trump.
US military aid and intelligence support remain paused as Washington pushes for peace.
Mr Rubio and Mr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia today but were not scheduled to meet directly. Both have separate meetings planned with crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The US secretary of state said he and national security adviser Mike Waltz would assess Ukraine’s position.
He said: “What we want to know is, are they interested entering some sort of peace conversation and general outlines of the kinds of things they could consider.”
06:09 PM GMT
Starmer calls second ‘coalition of the willing’ talks as Spain offers boots on ground
Sir Keir Starmer has called a second “coalition of the willing” meeting, as Spain offered to put boots on the ground in any peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister has pledged to lead a group of Western countries ready to support a ceasefire in Ukraine with military force.
About 20 countries, largely from the Commonwealth and Europe, are understood to be taking part in a virtual meeting this weekend.
At a previous summit of world leaders on March 2, Sir Keir said that Europe stood at a “crossroads in history” and called on allies to “step up” to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine.
Confirming a second meeting is expected to take place on Saturday, Sir Keir’s official spokesman told reporters on Monday: “The Prime Minister is to host a second leaders’ meeting of the coalition of the willing.
“It will be a virtual meeting – we will set out details of that in due course. We’re expecting that on Saturday.”
Read more here.
05:56 PM GMT
Lammy speaks with US, Ukraine officials before Saudi talks
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has spoken with his American and Ukrainian counterparts ahead of upcoming peace discussions in Saudi Arabia.
The communication comes as US secretary of state Marco Rubio prepares to meet with a Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah tomorrow.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha is part of the delegation expected to propose confidence-building measures including a potential Black Sea ceasefire.
05:42 PM GMT
Zelensky apologised to Trump for Oval Office row, Witkoff says
Volodymyr Zelensky has apologised to Donald Trump in a letter for their White House row.
Mr Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said: “Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologised for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office.”
He called the letter “an important step” amid ongoing discussions between American, Ukrainian and European officials.
Mr Witkoff said: “I think that it was an important step and there’s been a lot of discussion between our teams and the Ukrainians and the Europeans who are relevant to this discussion as well.”
Last month’s confrontation flared over differing visions of how to end Russia’s three-year-old invasion, with Zelensky seeking strong security guarantees from a Trump administration that has embraced diplomacy with Vladimir Putin.
05:15 PM GMT
Rubio: Trump-Zelensky meeting “total opposite” of plans
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said he was shocked by the Oval Office row between Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Speaking to reporters on his military plane en route to talks in Saudi Arabia, Mr Rubio addressed the clash: “Well it wasn’t the way it was supposed to go.”
He said:
We had these conversations with them coming in. We explained to them our position. We really wanted to get negotiations. We felt, I felt, I was actually shocked as it was happening, because it went the total opposite of everything we had talked about ahead of time.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was like – this can’t be real, but it was. But we have to move on.
04:35 PM GMT
Ukraine becomes world’s largest arms importer
Ukraine has become the world’s largest importer of arms while Russian weapons exports have dropped by 64 per cent.
Data collected by the Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute showed Ukraine accounted for 8.8 per cent of world arms imports over 2020-2024.
That is an increase of 9,627 per cent compared to the previous four years when it accounted for just 0.1 per cent of imports.
The US, the world’s largest arms exporter, supplied almost half of the weapons sent to Ukraine, followed by Germany (12 per cent) and Poland (11 per cent).
European NATO countries imported 64 per cent of their weapons from the US, with America now accounting for 42 per cent of the global arms trade.
Russia has fallen from second to third place in the think tank’s list of arms exporters, accounting for 7.8 per cent of global exports. It was outstripped by France (9.6 per cent), which saw exports increase by 11 per cent.
Italy jumped from 10th to 6th place with 4.8 per cent compared to 2015 to 2019. The UK was seventh. China and Germany with fourth and fifth on the list.
04:20 PM GMT
Starmer hopes US-Ukraine talks enable aid resumption
Sir Keir Starmer told US President Donald Trump he hoped talks between the United States and Ukraine would have a “positive outcome” that would allow intelligence sharing and military aid to resume.
The two leaders spoke ahead of US-Ukraine discussions in Saudi Arabia, part of ongoing efforts to find a peace deal to end the war with Russia.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said:
The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump ahead of the US Ukraine dialogue in Saudi Arabia.
The Prime Minister said that UK officials had been speaking to Ukraine officials over the weekend and they remain committed to a lasting peace.
The Prime Minister said he hoped there would be a positive outcome to the talks that would enable US aid and intelligence sharing to be restarted.
The two leaders also spoke about the economic deal they had discussed at the White House and the Prime Minister welcomed the detailed conversations that had already happened to move this forward. Both leaders agreed to stay in touch.
04:11 PM GMT
Denmark ready to join Ukraine peacekeeping if ceasefire reached
Denmark is “in principle” ready to participate in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached, foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.
He said: “If it comes to the point where a ceasefire or peace agreement requires a European presence, Denmark is prepared to participate in principle.”
Defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen, who appeared with Rasmussen, did not specify what Denmark’s contribution might involve.
“Denmark obviously has an interest in being active internationally, and we can be active in several ways,” Lund Poulsen said.
Britain and France are leading efforts to form a group of countries ready to help protect a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
03:59 PM GMT
Britain is world’s biggest ‘warmonger’, says Russia
Britain is the world’s biggest “warmonger”, Russia’s foreign intelligence service claimed, accusing the UK of sabotaging US efforts to secure peace in Ukraine.
“It is time to expose them and send a clear signal to the treacherous Albion and its elites: you will not succeed,” the SVR intelligence agency warned, adding that Britain was also to blame for starting the Second World War.
It said British authorities were acting to “undermine Donald Trump’s peacekeeping efforts” and the growing rapprochement between Russia and the US.
Earlier today, Russia expelled two people connected to Britain’s embassy in Moscow, accusing them of engaging in “counter-intelligence work” and harming Russian security.
“This is not the first time that Russia has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff,” a Foreign Office spokesman said in response.
Moscow has been angered by Britain’s continued military support for Kyiv and Sir Keir Starmer’s recent statements about putting British boots on the ground as part of a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
03:51 PM GMT
Ukraine rushes reinforcements to crumbling frontline
Ukraine is rushing reinforcement inside Russia’s Kursk region as Moscow’s forces have begun reclaiming territory.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said: “On the spot, I made a decision to strengthen our grouping with the necessary forces and means, including electronic warfare and unmanned components.”
The announcement comes amid reports that Russian troops have made gains against Ukrainian forces that had previously advanced into the Russian border region.
03:15 PM GMT
MoD: Russia pressuring Ukrainian forces in Kursk
Ukrainian forces now control around 300 square kilometres of Russian territory in the Kursk region, down from about 1,300 square kilometres seized last year, according to the British ministry of defence.
The ministry reported that Russia is “applying increased pressure” on Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region.
MoD said:
Russian forces continue to conduct fewer offensive operations elsewhere on the frontline compared to late 2024 and early 2025.”
Opportunities for Ukrainian counteroffensive have been improved by the reduced number of ground offensives being carried out by Russia.
03:01 PM GMT
Zelensky arrives in Saudi Arabia
Volodymyr Zelensky has landed in Jeddah ahead of talks between Ukrainian officials and Saudi and US representatives.
“We landed in Jeddah,” said an official from Ukraine’s delegation.
Zelensky cancelled a trip to Saudi Arabia last month after it hosted a meeting between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov without Ukrainian participation.
02:38 PM GMT
Trump envoy expects progress in Ukraine talks
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff expects “substantial” progress in Ukraine talks this week, including a possible minerals deal.
He said: “I think that we’re going over there with an expectation that we’re going to make substantial progress.”
Mr Witkoff said intelligence sharing would be discussed during meetings in Saudi Arabia.
Asked if he thought Volodymyr Zelensky would return to the US to sign a minerals deal this week, Mr Witkoff said, “I am really hopeful. All the signs are very, very positive.”
02:15 PM GMT
Analysis: Russia’s distrust of Britain goes back centuries
A certain kind of Russian nationalist has always viewed Britain with suspicion. They liken to call it “foggy Albion” – foggy is not so much a reference to the weather as opacity; deception; perfidy.
Historic ill feeling goes back to the Great Game of the 19th century, when Russia and Britain vied for dominance in Central Asia.
But it often trips into the wildest of conspiracies.
When I lived in Russia, the popular history section of Moscow’s biggest bookshop was filled with titles along the lines of “who is destroying Russia?” or “Who started…” enter a catastrophe. Quite often the front cover would feature a Union Jack.
Such works blame Britain for everything from the assassination of Rasputin and the 1917 revolution and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Interestingly, Britain seems to be seen as a more mendacious enemy than the United States. These ideas quickly get laundered into both popular wisdom, and official rhetoric.
One author wrote that Margaret Thatcher said Russia’s population should be reduced to 15 million people – just enough to operate the oil pipelines.
She never said anything of the sort, of course. I had it repeated to me on more than one occasion by ordinary Russians who genuinely believed it. And in 2018 the Russian foreign ministry cited it on Twitter.
So it is not that surprising to see the chiefs of the SVR, Russia’s elite foreign intelligence service, regurgitating this stuff.
02:03 PM GMT
US denies cutting off defensive intelligence for Ukraine
The US has denied ever cutting off intelligence for anything defensive that Ukrainians need.
Steve Witkoff, a senior negotiator in the Trump administration, made the claim as he expressed optimism that Kyiv would sign a minerals deal with the US.
It comes after Donald Trump said the US had “just about” restored intelligence sharing with Ukraine, with elaborating further.
Ukraine has said “all” intelligence sharing had stopped.
01:47 PM GMT
30 nations to join Ukraine talks in Paris tomorrow
Military officials from more than 30 nations will take part in Paris talks on the creation of an international security force for Ukraine, a French military official has said.
Such an international force would aim to dissuade Russia from launching another offensive after any ceasefire comes into effect.
The long list of participants on Tuesday will also include Asian and Oceania nations joining the talks remotely, the French official said.
The international makeup of the talks offers an indication of how broadly France and Britain – which are working on the planning together – are casting their net as they aim to build what the French official described as a coalition of nations “able and willing” to be part of an effort to safeguard Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
01:30 PM GMT
Witkoff: Intelligence sharing will be discussed in Saudi
Steve Witkoff, a key negotiator in the Donald Trump administration, has said intelligence sharing will be discussed with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Kyiv is expected to propose an aerial and naval ceasefire with Russia during talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia tomorrow, a Ukrainian official said.
Ukraine hopes it could lead to the resumption of US military aid and intelligence.
“We do have a proposal for a ceasefire in the sky and ceasefire at sea, because these are the ceasefire options that are easy to install and to monitor and it’s possible to start with them,” a Ukrainian official said on Monday.
01:18 PM GMT
Today’s Blower cartoon
01:14 PM GMT
Spain will take part in ‘coalition of the willing’ if there’s guarantees
Spain has told allies it will take part in Sir Keir Starmer’s post-war mission in Ukraine if it receives security assurances from Donald Trump.
Sources told El Pais that Madrid would need a solid plan for deterring Russia from attacking any European force in Ukraine before committing troops.
In private, Pedro Sanchez, Spain’s prime minister, has argued there would need to be legal guarantees that Europeans helping Ukraine are given protection.
This will come as a boost to Sir Keir’s and France’s Emmanuel Macron’s effort to form a “Coalition of the Willing” that could be used to enforce any deal to end the three-year war with Russia.
Spain had previously ruled itself out of the venture despite having attended a number of planning meetings held in London and Paris.
12:38 PM GMT
Downing Street rejects Trump’s claim ‘Ukraine may not survive’
Downing Street has rejected Donald Trump’s claim that Ukraine “may not survive” its war against Russia.
The US president made the remarks when asked about a warning by Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, who said Ukraine would not survive without American support.
Mr Trump replied: “Well, it may not survive anyway. But we have some weaknesses with Russia. You know, it takes two.”
The comments were rejected by the Prime Minister’s official spokesman during a briefing for journalists on Monday.
The spokesman said: “We’ve always said that Ukraine, at the other end of this process, must emerge as a sovereign territory.”
12:28 PM GMT
Starmer to lead ‘coalition of the willing’ talks on Saturday
Sir Keir Starmer will lead a second meeting of the “coalition of the willing” this weekend.
The Prime Minister has pledged to lead a group of Western countries supporting Ukraine in the wake of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, in the hope that Europe can shoulder the burden of the war.
Sir Keir’s official spokesman told reporters on Monday: “The Prime Minister is to host a second leaders’ meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.
“It will be a virtual meeting – we will set out details of that in due course. We’re expecting that on Saturday. It will build on the summit from Lancaster House, but the exact cast list will be confirmed.”
The Telegraph understands that around 20 countries are expected to take part in the talks.
The spokesman continued: “Obviously these discussions are live but clearly all those involved in discussions are interested in exploring exactly what they’re able to contribute.”
12:18 PM GMT
Britain is ‘main instigator’ of global conflict, says Russia
Britain is the “main instigator” of global conflict, Russia’s spy agency said, accusing the UK of starting the Second World War.
“As we can see, London today, just as it did on the eve of both world wars of the last century, acts as the main ‘instigator’ of the global conflict,” the SVR said.
“At the same time, the British themselves, obviously, are again counting on sitting it out on their island.
“It is time to expose them and send a clear signal to the treacherous Albion and its elites: you will not succeed.”
The SVR also said Britain feared its interests were at stake by the US and Russia restoring relations.
12:02 PM GMT
Trump: We have ‘just about’ restored intelligence sharing to Ukraine
The US has “just about” restored intelligence sharing with Ukraine, Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday evening.
Last week, the CIA confirmed the US had suspended intelligence sharing and arms shipments to Ukraine following the Oval Office clash between Mr Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.
Asked if he would consider ending the halt on intelligence sharing, Mr Trump said: “We just about have. We just about have.”
11:44 AM GMT
Ukraine retains control of 300 sq km in Kursk
Earlier we reported that Ukrainian troops were under increasing pressure in Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a surprise border incursion last August (see 9.43am post).
The UK Ministry of Defence acknowledged that Ukrainian forces had come under “increased pressure” in the region but said they retain control of around 300 sq km of territory in the region.
11:40 AM GMT
Long US intel pause would give Russia ‘significant advantage’
Russia could enjoy a “significant advantage” on the battlefield against Ukrainian troops if the United States sustains its pause on sharing intelligence with Kyiv, a senior Ukrainian official has said.
“The main thing is how long it will last. If it lasts a long time, it will give the Russians a significant advantage,” the source told AFP.
11:15 AM GMT
Russia’s glide bombs were unstoppable. Now Ukraine has rendered them useless
In a single week in September 2024, Russia dropped more than 900 glide bombs along its 800-mile front line with Ukraine, according to Ukrainian estimates.
Ukraine was almost powerless to stop the long-range weapons – and the consequences were devastating.
Known as Russia’s “miracle weapon”, glide bombs would routinely be used to wipe out key Ukrainian targets, from logistics bases to army headquarters. Fitted with wings and satellite-aided navigation, each weighed as much as three tons.
However, 12 months later, Russia’s glide bombs are effectively useless, owing to the sudden success of Ukrainian radio jammers.
11:00 AM GMT
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10:43 AM GMT
Russia: We don’t know if Ukraine wants peace
The Kremlin said it is waiting to see whether Ukraine wants peace ahead of Kyiv’s talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia.
“This is, in fact, probably what everyone is waiting for,” Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said this morning.
Donald Trump has also repeatedly questioned whether Ukraine wants peace with Russia, though expressed optimism about Tuesday’s talks.
“We’re going to make a lot of progress, I believe, this week,” the US president told reporters on Sunday.
The Kremlin also said there was “political will” to restore relations with the US though said the “road ahead is quite long and difficult”.
“We are at the initial stage of the path to restoring our bilateral relations.”
10:30 AM GMT
Foreign Office rejects Russia’s ‘baseless’ spy claims
The Foreign Office has rejected Russia’s claim that two members of staff connected to Britain’s embassy in Moscow had engaged in spying.
“This is not the first time that Russia has made malicious and baseless accusations against our staff,” a Foreign Office spokesman said.
The embassy’s second secretary and the husband of the first secretary were expelled for performing “counter-intelligence work”, according to the state-run TASS news agency.
10:04 AM GMT
Zelensky: Russia the ‘only reason’ there is no peace
Russia is the “only reason” there is no peace in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has said ahead of his country’s talks with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
“Ukraine 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,” Mr Zelensky said on social media.
The Ukrainian president is also in Saudi Arabia today for a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s crown prince, though will not join tomorrow’s meeting.
09:43 AM GMT
Ukrainian troops ‘trapped’ by Russian Kursk advance
Russian forces have advanced further into Kursk, trapping Ukrainian soldiers as part of a major encirclement operation, pro-Kremlin war bloggers said.
Moscow’s troops were reported to have cleared the village of Ivashkovsky as they advanced from seven directions.
Yuri Podolyaka, a pro-Russian military blogger, said Russia’s advance had left pockets of Ukrainian troops cut off from friendly forces.
“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,” Rybar, a Russian blogger close to the defence ministry, said.
Ukraine had been hoping to hold onto the Russian territory it seized as a potential bargaining chip in any negotiations. It came as Russia announced on Sunday it had captured territory in Ukraine’s Sumy region for the first time since 2022.
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has travelled to Saudi Arabia for tomorrow’s talks with Ukrainian officials. US officials said they believed Kyiv was “ready to move forward” with ceasefire negotiations.
09:30 AM GMT
Watch: Russia claims capture of town in northern Kursk
Russian troops have claimed the capture of Malaya Loknya, a town in northern Kursk.
Footage shows a soldier planting the Russian flag following the military’s lighting counteroffensive against Ukrainian forces.
09:21 AM GMT
Zelensky expected in Saudi Arabia
Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia this morning for a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman.
The Ukrainian president will not take part in talks with US officials in Jeddah on Tuesday but will discuss options to end the war with the Saudi leader today.
His country has played various mediating roles since Russia’s invasion, including brokering prisoner exchanges and hosting talks between Russia and the United States last month.
08:46 AM GMT
Lammy vows to unfreeze funds from sale of Chelsea
David Lammy has vowed to unfreeze billions of pounds earned from Roman Abramovich’s sale of Chelsea football club – and send the funds to Ukraine.
The Russian billionaire was forced to sell the club once he was slapped with sanctions following Russia’s invasion.
He had promised funds from the sale would go to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
“I’m frustrated that it hasn’t happened, is the truth — and that money needs to be distributed, it needs to be used,” Mr Lammy told the Financial Times.
Some £2.3bn are frozen in a dedicated UK trust.
08:20 AM GMT
Pictured: Russian drones attack Kyiv
Both Russia and Ukraine launched drone attacks overnight.
The Ukrainian military said Russia had launched 176 drones, claiming to have shot down 130 of them. Some 42 didn’t reach their targets, they added.
Meanwhile, Ukraine attacked Samara in southern Russia.
“There are no injuries,” Russia’s emergency ministry said on Telegram.
08:01 AM GMT
Vance and Trump are Putin’s ‘useful idiots’, says VP’s cousin
JD Vance and Donald Trump are “Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots”, the vice-president’s cousin has claimed, after the US suspended military aid to Ukraine.
Nate Vance, who reportedly spent three years fighting to defend Ukraine from Russia’s invasion, accused Mr Vance of “ambushing” Volodymyr Zelensky in an explosive Oval Office encounter with the Ukrainian leader last month.
“Donald Trump and my cousin clearly believe they can placate Vladimir Putin. They are wrong. The Russians are not about to forget our support for Ukraine,” Nate Vance, who returned to the US in January, told Le Figaro.
“We are Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots,” he added.
Nate Vance travelled to Ukraine three weeks after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, and has since reportedly fought in some of the war’s bloodiest battles as part of the “Da Vinci Wolves” battalion.
07:43 AM GMT
Top UK adviser in Ukraine ahead of peace talks
Jonathan Powell, the UK’s national security adviser, travelled to to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian officials before their meeting with US officials in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Powell met Andriy Yermak, the head of Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, who will meet with Marco Rubio in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
The two “exchanged views on key issues on the path to achieving piece,” according to Mr Yermak.
07:15 AM GMT
Russia expels British diplomat and spouse for ‘intelligence work’
Russia has expelled two people connected to Britain’s embassy in Moscow, state news has reported.
The embassy’s second secretary and the husband of the first secretary were expelled for performing “counter-intelligence work”, according to TASS.
07:12 AM GMT
Pictured: Rubio heads to Saudi Arabia for Ukraine talks
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has departed Florida for Saudi Arabia ahead of talks with Ukrainian officials on Tuesday.
Senior officials in the Trump administration said on Sunday they believed Kyiv was “ready” to engage in serious talks over implementing a ceasefire.
07:05 AM GMT
Trump: Ukraine ‘may not survive’
Donald Trump said Ukraine “may not survive” as the White House put pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky to give up territory seized by Russia.
Ahead of the start of peace talks in Saudi Arabia this week, Mr Trump suggested Ukraine may cease to exist as a sovereign state.
Mr Zelensky has been told he must show he is willing to cede land occupied by Russia if he wants Washington to lift its ban on weapons and intelligence sharing.
The US president has repeatedly called for Ukraine to sign a minerals deal that would give the US access to 50 per cent of Ukraine’s mineral wealth, which may be signed as early as this week.
Credit: Fox News
07:01 AM GMT
Welcome to our live coverage
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
We’ll bring you updates and analysis throughout the day.