2. Tom Joyner
3. Live reporter
4. Image source, Getty Images
5. After weeks of high-level talks punctuated by frequent stops and starts, Russia and Ukraine have given the strongest signal yet they are willing to lay down arms – even if only in part.
6. The White House says it has brokered an agreement between the two countries to halt military activity over the Black Sea after its officials met separately with counterparts from Moscow and Kyiv in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.
7. It’s a different deal to the more ambitious one touted only weeks earlier, as BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale points out, when the US and Ukraine held talks in Jeddah.
8. The new agreement is fraught with complications, including Russia’s list of conditions. The Kremlin said it won’t commit until sanctions are lifted and membership to the Swift payment network is reinstated, demands Trump says he is considering. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of lying about the terms of the agreement.
9. There are other worries about how durable the deal could be. Russia has broken agreements in the past, and the White House has given little indication it’s negotiating in Ukraine’s interest alone. Ukraine says the movement of Russian warships westward will be treated as a violation of terms.
10. Even so, Zelensky is showing cautious optimism, telling reporters the deal represents “the right steps” towards peace.
11. As BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner writes, there is a temptation by both camps to keep fighting, but for now it’s the best chance they’ve got to lay groundwork for a wider ceasefire.
14. Moscow has published a list of Russian and Ukrainian energy facilities, external it says US and Russian delegations agreed should not be attacked as part of today’s agreement.
15. It includes:

• Oil refineries
• Oil and gas pipelines and storage facilities, including pumping stations
• Electricity generation and transmission infrastructure, including power plants, substations, transformers and distributors
• Nuclear power plants
• Hydroelectric dams

1. Russia claims the pause in hostilities on energy targets came into affect on 18 March for 30 days, and says this may be extended by mutual agreement.
2. Both Moscow and Kyiv accused the other of breaching the initial deal to halt attacks on energy facilities within hours of it being announced earlier this month.
5. Image source, Reuters
6. We’ve just been hearing from US President Donald Trump who has been meeting US ambassadors at the White House.
7. He’s asked by a reporter about the sanctions Russia says need to be lifted by the US before it implements the Black Sea deal.
8. “We’re thinking about all of them right now,” Trump tells reporters. “We’re looking at all of them.”
9. Russia says sanctions need to be lifted on banks involved in international trade in food and fertilisers, as well as being fully reconnected to Swift – a network that facilitates secure financial messaging.
10. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of lying about the terms agreed with American negotiators.
13. Vitaliy Shevchenko
14. Russia editor, BBC Monitoring
15. Before we close our live page, let’s bring you more reaction to the deal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has in the last few moments accused Russia of lying about the outcome of talks with the American negotiators.
16. “The Kremlin is lying again, claiming that the Black Sea ceasefire supposedly depends on sanctions and that the energy ceasefire supposedly began on 18 March. Moscow always lies,” he said in his nightly address to Ukrainians.
17. He said the statement published by the White House is “absolutely clear”, adding: “It depends on the world and on all those who really need peace whether Russia will be allowed to lie again.”
20. Since news of the Black Sea ceasefire broke this afternoon, we’ve had a flurry of statements from the US, Ukraine and Russia:

• It began when the White House announced Russia and Ukraine had agreed to ensure safe passage for commercial shipping in the Black Sea – and to stop military strikes
• The statements were released after US talks in Saudi Arabia with Ukrainian and Russian teams
• The Ukrainian defence ministry then said the movement of Russian warships outside the “eastern part of the Black Sea” would be treated as a violation of the agreement
• President Zelensky called the deal a “step in the right direction” but that it was “too early” to say whether it would work
• Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov – who took part in the Riyadh talks with the US – said “technical consultations” were needed “as soon as possible to agree on all the details and technical aspects of the implementation, monitoring and control of the arrangements”
• And Russia said certain sanctions must be lifted from banks, food producers and exporters before the ceasefire could come into effect

1. Image source, EPA
2. Image caption,
3. Zelensky giving his reaction earlier today
6. Odesa is a Ukrainian port city on the Black Sea which has come under regular Russian attack since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
7. The Reuters news agency has spoken to residents of the city, to get their reaction to today’s Black Sea ceasefire announcement.
8. “They [Russians] never keep their words. All these deals will not be in Ukraine’s favour,” says Inna Zhelezniak.
9. “Putin and not only Putin – everyone in his government are terrorists,” adds Anastasiia Drachenko. “That’s impossible, completely impossible to believe that this time they indeed will do what they promised.”
10. Meanwhile, Nadiia says: “We want peaceful nights very much. It is spring now, we want to spend more time outside, walk calmly with the child.”
11. Image source, Reuters
12. Image caption,
13. A beach in Odesa, pictured three days ago
16. More reaction to the Black Sea deal now – in the UK, Downing Street has struck a cautiously optimistic note.
17. “Our position at the moment is that we are obviously hopeful of the progress,” a spokeswoman for No 10 says, adding they were closely following developments.
18. The spokeswoman declines to say whether the UK is planning to ease any sanctions on Russia – as a reminder, Russia says certain sanctions must be eased before the ceasefire begins.
21. We’ve talked a lot about the Black Sea – but where exactly is it?
22. The sea is located south of Ukraine and to the west of Russia, and is also bordered by Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Georgia.
23. It’s also bordered by parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine – including Crimea.
24. It is a vital shipping route for Ukrainian exports, and after Russia pulled of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in 2023, it said it would view any vessel bound for Ukraine as a potential military target.
25. As a result, Ukraine’s grain exports slumped.
26. 
28. 
29. Frank Gardner
30. Security correspondent
31. The Riyadh talks have been, on the surface, a success. The goals were far less ambitious than the proposal to emerge from the earlier Jeddah talks, namely a full 30-day ceasefire on land, sea and air. But even getting this limited maritime agreement in principle from both warring parties is a start.
32. But there is so little trust between Russia and Ukraine that there is a temptation by both sides to keep shooting at each other even after a deal is agreed.
33. It is all too easy to see a scenario in which this agreement falls apart: Ukraine could accuse the Russian navy of moving westwards in violation of the deal, Moscow denies it. Ukraine says it has no choice but to fire on the Russians in self-defence, Russia resumes targeting Ukrainian ships and then the deal is dead in the water.
34. Then there is the risk of one side accusing the other of carrying out a “false flag attack” – pretending it has been attacked by the other when in reality it staged the attack itself to discredit the other nation.
35. That said, Russia is clearly keen to restart its commercial exports through the Black Sea and Ukraine would certainly like to ship out its grain from ports like Odesa without being hit by Russian missiles.
36. So despite the risks, this could, just possibly, be something to build on towards a more wide-ranging ceasefire.
39. Just before the Black Sea agreement was announced, we heard from Tulsi Gabbard, the US director of national intelligence.
40. In a briefing before the Senate intelligence committee, she said Russia remained a major security threat, particularly because of its cyber attack capabilities and its vast nuclear arsenal.
41. “Among Russia’s most concerning developments is a new satellite designed to carry a nuclear weapon,” she has told the committee.
44. Image source, Reuters
45. More from Zelensky now, who says the deal to halt strikes in the Black Sea is a step in the right direction.
46. “It is too early to say that it will work, but these were the right meetings, the right decisions, the right steps,” he has told reporters in Kyiv.
47. “No one can accuse Ukraine of not moving towards sustainable peace after this.”
48. US President Trump has previously accused Zelensky of standing in the way of peace negotiations.
49. “This guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, just days after his dramatic showdown with Zelensky in the Oval Office.
52. James Landale
53. Diplomatic correspondent in Kyiv
54. We’ve now got two statements: one between the US and Russia, one between the US and Ukraine.
55. They are similar in parts – not identical – but the key line is that both sides have agreed an effective maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea.
56. The US, Russia and Ukraine “have agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea”, the statement says.
57. For the first time we have actual commitments from both Ukraine and Russia to end the fighting in the Black Sea. It hasn’t been the centre of the conflict for quite some time, but it is definitely a step forward.
58. The Russians have clearly agreed to do it – the quid pro quo is that they are going to get help from the US to allow their agricultural and fertiliser products to get to the international market.
59. In other words, they are seeing it as a revival of the old Black Sea Grain Initiative that they pulled out of back in 2023.
60. In terms of the Ukrainians, the agreement that they’ve got is that the US will “remain committed to helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children”.
61. Both sides have now also agreed to “develop measures for implementing a ban on strikes against energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine”. In other words, they’re going to try and do it but we don’t know yet whether they will succeed in doing so.
62. In summary, some progress has been made, but it’s still not the comprehensive ceasefire the US originally wanted.
65. Vitaliy Shevchenko
66. Russia editor, BBC Monitoring
67. The Kremlin has now published a statement on Saudi talks with the US, and there are a number of conditions it says the Black Sea deal comes attached with.
68. It says the agreement will only come into force after sanctions are lifted from Russian banks involved in international trade in food and fertilisers, and they are fully reconnected to Swift – a network that facilitates secure financial messaging between banks.
69. This means Russia is effectively saying sanctions must be lifted from its banks, food producers and exporters, as well as insurers involved in food exports, before a ceasefire in the Black Sea comes into effect.
72. Image source, Reuters
73. We’re hearing now from President Volodymyr Zelensky, who says Ukraine will hold up its end of the agreement and will push for further sanctions if Russia fails to do the same.
74. “If the Russians violate this, then I have a direct question for President Trump,” he tells reporters in Kyiv.
75. “If they violate, here is the evidence – we ask for sanctions, we ask for weapons.”
78. We’re yet to hear from Russia about the agreement on ending hostilities in the Black Sea, which has been brokered by the US.
79. But the Russian state-owned Tass news agency reports that the Kremlin will publish a statement in the very near future, citing spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
80. We’ll bring you all the key lines as we get them.
83. The Ukrainian defence ministry has released its own statement on the deal, which largely follows the same wording as the White House.
84. But it also adds that the movement of Russian warships outside of the “eastern part of the Black Sea” will be treated as a violation of the agreement and a “threat to the national security of Ukraine”.
85. “In this case Ukraine will have full right to exercise right to self-defence,” the defence ministry statement says on X.
86. The defence ministry adds that “additional technical consultations” will be needed for the “effective implementation” of what has been agreed.
87. 
88. Image caption,
89. Russia and Ukraine both control land alongside the Black Sea
92. Here are the key points from the statement released by the White House following its talks with Russia in Riyadh:

• The US and Russia have agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force and prevent use of commercial vessels for military use in the Black Sea
• The US says Russia agreed to develop measures to implement a ban on strikes against energy facilities in Ukraine and Russia

1. The US also says Ukraine has agreed to these two points.
2. The statement adds:

• The US will help to restore Russia’s access to exporting agricultural and fertiliser products and enhance access to ports

3. The White House says both Russia and Ukraine have agreed to ensure safe passage for commercial shipping and stop military strikes in the Black Sea.
4. We’ll bring you more details and lines from the White House statement on US talks with the Russian delegation in the next post.
7. We’ve just received a statement from the White House on the talks between the US and Ukrainian delegations in Riyadh. It says:

• The US and Ukraine has agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea
• The two countries remain committed to helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, release of civilian detainees and return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children
• Kyiv and Washington agreed to develop measures for implementing a ban on strikes against energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine
• The US and Ukraine will continue working towards a “durable and lasting peace”, and welcome third countries to support the implementation of maritime and energy agreements

1. It adds the US reiterated to both sides in the war that the killing has to stop and it will continue facilitating negotiations.
4. Image source, EPA
5. Europe must acquire all means to defend itself against military aggression, the president of the European Council has said.
6. “If Russia considers that Ukraine’s borders are just a line on a map, why should it respect any other country’s borders?” Antonio Costa asks in a speech at the European Policy Centre.
7. Costa adds that peace without defence is an “illusion” and that Europe needs to continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine to create lasting peace in Europe.
8. “Russia’s aggression gave a new sense of urgency to our strategic autonomy, not only on energy but also on defence,” he says, adding there needs to be a “collective effort to boost our defence spending by more than 30%, paving the way for decisions which are shaping a Europe of defence”.

Page 2

2. Image source, EPA
3. Image caption,
4. Russian officials met American counterparts for 12 hours of talks
5. If you’re just joining us this lunchtime, here’s the latest we know about the talks in Saudi Arabia, as well as what’s been happening on the frontline in Ukraine:

• Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Black Sea shipping was discussed with American counterparts in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on Monday
• Russia says it will be willing to strike a deal but only if the US orders Ukraine to respect it (for context, Russia pulled out of the initial deal in summer 2023 after saying key parts had not been implemented)
• US and Russian officials met for 12 hours and had been expected to release a joint statement this morning
• But according to one Russian politician, a joint statement was not adopted “because of Ukraine’s position”
• On Tuesday, the US also concluded talks with the Ukrainian delegation
• Ukraine says Russia launched 139 drones and one ballistic missile overnight. Kyiv says up to 30 Russian troops were killed in an air strike on military infrastructure in Kursk
• Russia meanwhile is accusing Ukraine of continuing attacks on its energy infrastructure

3. Image source, Getty Images
4. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be meeting French President Emmanuel Macron tomorrow at the Elysée Palace in Paris, French media is reporting.
5. The two leaders will hold talks ahead of the next iteration of meetings as part of the “coalition of the willing”, due to take place on Thursday.
6. Talks are continuing between European leaders on how to ensure any ceasefire agreement secured between Russia and Ukraine is maintained, as well as how Kyiv can be given assurances about its future security.
9. Image source, Reuters
10. As we’ve been reporting, among the topics said to have been discussed in Riyadh is the potential revival of the 2022 Black Sea grain deal – which had allowed cargo ships travelling to and from Ukraine to safely navigate without being attacked by Russia.
11. Both Ukraine and Russia are major grain exporters, and prices rocketed after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
12. A reluctance on the part of international shipping companies to do business with Moscow also hampered Russian exports.
13. Two deals were brokered by the UN and Turkey – one with Ukraine, and one with Russia – that together were intended to allow both countries to resume and scale-up shipments to amounts closer to pre-war levels.
14. The deal facilitated the movement of grain, sunflower oil and other products required for food production such as fertiliser through the Black Sea.
15. It was initially put in place for a period of 120 days but, after multiple extensions, Russia pulled out in July 2023, claiming key parts of the agreement had not been implemented.
18. Image source, Getty Images
19. Image caption,
20. Sergei Lavrov and Antonio Guterres pictured in January 2024
21. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says United Nations chief Antonio Guterres is in constant contact with Russia on the issue of easing Russian grain and fertiliser exports.
22. According to the Kremlin, Guterres is “trying to help” and looking for ways around current Western sanctions.
23. We have not heard anything yet from the UN in response to Lavrov’s comments.
24. The UN, alongside Turkey, brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative in 2022. But inthe summer of 2023, Russia pulled out of the agreement and stopped giving safe passage to cargo ships going to and from Ukraine.
25. A separate agreement, called the Memorandum of Understanding, was signed between the UN and Russia to facilitate the export of Russian food products and fertilisers.
28. The US and Russia did not issue a joint statement after their peace talks in Riyadh because of “Ukraine’s position”, a Russian politician claims.
29. “The fact that they sat for 12 hours and apparently agreed a joint statement – which wasn’t however adopted because of Ukraine’s position – that is very typical and symptomatic,” Vladimir Chizhov, first deputy head of the defence committee at the Russian parliament’s upper house, has told Russian media this morning.
30. He added that he wouldn’t “comment on such details before they are made public”.
31. The Kremlin said earlier that the contents of the US-Russia talks held in Saudi Arabia yesterday would not be published, with the results still “being analysed”by both sides.
32. The two countries were expected to release a joint statement at 08:00 GMT today. It’s not clear whether one might still be released later today.
35. Vitaliy Shevchenko
36. Russia editor, BBC Monitoring
37. Moscow has accused Ukraine of continuing to target Russia’s civilian energy infrastructure amid continuing peace talks.
38. In a statement, Russia’s defence ministry said Ukrainian drones attacked a power grid in the Krasnodar territory yesterday, as well as a gas distribution station in the occupied Luhansk region. It also said a Ukrainian drone targeted an underground gas storage facility in occupied Crimea yesterday, which was intercepted.
39. “By continuing daily attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, Zelensky confirms that he is incapable of sticking to agreements or of being managed by foreign guarantors of any possible agreements,” the ministry said.
42. Away from the talks, both Russia and Ukraine have continued to carry out attacks overnight.
43. Images have been released by Ukraine’s state emergency service, which says show the aftermath of Russian drone strikes in the cities of Fastiv and Boryspil, in the Kyiv region, and the city of Izyum, in the north-eastern Kharkiv region.
44. Image source, Ukrainian state emergency service
45. Image source, Ukrainian state emergency service
46. Image source, Ukrainian state emergency service
48. 
49. James Landale
50. Diplomatic correspondent in Kyiv
51. There were 12 hours of talks between the Russians and Americans on Monday in Riyadh. The text we’re expecting will probably give some readout of what was discussed.
52. What’s interesting is the fact Washington and Moscow are even contemplating issuing a joint statement that does not involve the Ukrainians, despite those talks with the Kyiv continuing.
53. Ahead of these talks, people were describing them as shuttle diplomacy – with three delegations in the same hotel complex in Riyadh.
54. But there doesn’t seem to be that much shuttling – it seems to be just long talks with one side and the Americans to find where there is common ground.
55. The focus is on restoring the 2022 Black Sea grain initiative – a very specific deal done to open up one seaway to get grain and fertiliser out of Ukraine, while in return relaxing economic sanctions to let Russia export some more of its grain and fertiliser.
56. That is not the same thing as a comprehensive ceasefire across the Black Sea, so we wait to see precisely what they’ve agreed, if anything.
57. But at the moment, it seems to be as ever slow incremental steps rather than anything resembling a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire across the whole of the Ukraine which was demanded by the US and agreed to by Kyiv.
60. Image source, EPA
61. Issues surrounding the safety of shipping in the Black Sea were discussed with the US in Saudi Arabia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says, according to the state-owned Tass news agency.
62. Lavrov adds that Russia is in favour of resuming the Black Sea grain initiative – a deal allowing Ukraine to safely export grain, after pulling out in 2023.
63. The Kremlin said a short while ago that the contents of the talks held in Riyadh yesterday would not be published, with the results still “being analysed” by both sides.
64. It had been reported earlier, however, that negotiators were examining a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea.

• The Kremlin says the contents of the US-Russia talks held in Saudi Arabia yesterday will not be published, with the results still “being analysed” by both sides
• It had been expected that Moscow and Washington would release a joint statement on yesterday’s meeting at 08:00 GMT, but this has not yet been shared – it’s now not clear if we’ll still get it
• In Riyadh, Ukrainian and American officials have just finished a round of fresh talks – the AFP news agency cites a Kyiv delegate as saying “all details will be announced later”
• Negotiators have reportedly been examining the possibility of a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea, as efforts continue to bring about lasting peace in Ukraine
• On the ground, Kyiv and Moscow are continuing to trade fire. Ukraine says Russia launched 139 drones and one ballistic missile overnight. In a separate statement, Kyiv says up to 30 Russian troops were killed in an air strike on military infrastructure in Kursk

1. We’re continuing to monitor for updates, and will bring you all the latest right here on this page. Stay with us.
4. Earlier, we brought you reports that the US and Ukrainian teams in Saudi Arabia were holding a further meeting today.
5. That meeting has now ended, the AFP news agency reports, citing a source from the Kyiv delegation.
6. “The talks are over. All details will be announced later,” the source tells a small group of media, according to AFP.
7. Ukraine’s national broadcaster, Suspilne, also reports that the talks – the second round in the past three days – have finished.
10. Ben Tavener
11. Moscow producer
12. Image source, EPA
13. More now on what we’ve heard from Moscow about the talks with the US in Saudi Arabia.
14. As we reported in our last post, the Kremlin says the results of the meeting have been conveyed to their respective capitals and are currently “being analysed”.
15. “We’re talking about technical talks, where they go into detail, so of course the contents of those talks definitely won’t be made public,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says on a daily conference call with Russian and international journalists.
16. “The briefings made to the capitals are being analysed [and] we can talk about the understandings [reached] later,” he adds.
17. On the potential for another call between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, he says there are no plans right now, but that it could be quickly arranged if needed.
18. Asked whether there were now grounds for three-way talks including Ukraine, Peskov says that had not been discussed.
21. A Kremlin spokesperson says both Russia and the US are currently analysing the outcome of talks in Saudi Arabia yesterday.
22. Dmitry Peskov adds that the content of what was discussed will not be published.
23. We’ll bring you more on this shortly.

• As a reminder, we’re still waiting for that US-Russia joint statement, which was due at 08:00 GMT

3. Image source, Reuters
4. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will hold another meeting on the “coalition of the willing” on Thursday.
5. In the aftermath of the Saudi Arabia talks, the European leaders, along with their allies, aim to provide possible solutions to ensure any potential ceasefire agreement can be maintained and give Ukraine confidence about its future security.
6. In a statement shared yesterday, a Downing Street spokesperson said Starmer was continually updating the White House on meetings with his allies, following conversations on military planning.
9. The US and Ukrainian delegations are currently holding a further round of talks in Riyadh, according to reports.
10. “We are still working with the Americans,” a member of the Ukrainian delegation tells a small group of media, according to the AFP news agency.
11. Bloomberg is reporting the same, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.
14. We had been expecting the US and Russia to release a joint statement by now following peace talks yesterday.
15. The BBC’s US partner, CBS News, cited sources as saying it would land at 08:00 GMT.
16. We’re keeping an eye out and will bring you any updates as we get them.
19. Vitaliy Shevchenko
20. Russia editor, BBC Monitoring
21. Russia-US talks in Riyadh were “difficult but constructive”, a Russian senator quotes negotiator Grigory Karasin as saying on the state-controlled Rossiya 24 news channel.
22. Vladimir Dzhabarov is one of Karasin’s deputies on the Russian upper house’s foreign affairs committee.
23. Senator Dzhabarov says he spoke to Karasin earlier this morning as he was about to leave Saudi Arabia following the negotiations with the Americans.
24. The Russian delegation is expected to land in Moscow this evening after a stopover, Dzhabarov says.
27. As we’ve been reporting, we’re expecting the US and Russia to publish a joint statement shortly.
28. It follows delegations from both countries holding talks in Saudi Arabia yesterday, where the US team also met representatives from Ukraine. Negotiators have reportedly been examining the possibility of a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea.
29. The BBC’s US partner, CBS News, cites sources as saying a statement is expected at 08:00 GMT.
30. We’ve got our eyes peeled, and we’ll bring you the key lines if it materialises as expected.
33. Vitaliy Shevchenko
34. Russia editor, BBC Monitoring
35. More now from the ground.
36. Kyiv says up to 30 Russian troops were killed in an air strike on an “element of military infrastructure” in Russia’s Kursk region.
37. “As a result of the strike it was completely destroyed,” the Ukrainian General Staff says in a statement, adding that the strike “degrades the enemy’s ability to conduct operations against Ukraine’s Defense Forces in Sumy and Kursk regions”.
38. Ukraine launched an incursion into Kursk region in August last year, but over the recent weeks its forces have been withdrawing under pressure from the Russians.
39. Both Russia and the US claim significant numbers of them were surrounded in Kursk region, but Ukraine denies this.
42. Vitaliy Shevchenko
43. Russia editor, BBC Monitoring
44. Ukraine’s air force says Russia used 139 drones and one Iskander ballistic missile in overnight attacks.
45. According to the statement issued this morning, it shot down 78 drones, while another 34 were dummy drones not carrying explosives and did not cause any damage.
46. It does not say what happened to the remaining 27 drones or the missile, which suggests they likely reached their targets.

Page 3

Live reporter

The US and Russia are expected to release a joint statement today, the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, reports.

Delegations from the US, Ukraine and Russia have been holding talks at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Saudi Arabia for the past two days.

Washington is attempting to broker a ceasefire, and despite the negotiations being carried out in the same hotel, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations are not meeting one another.

The US team spent Monday locked in talks with the Russian delegation – top of the agenda was reportedly the revival of a 2022 deal allowing ships to freely navigate in the Black Sea.

The two are expected to release a statement at around 08:00 GMT.

Meanwhile, in DC yesterday, Trump told reporters he expects a deal giving US firms access to Ukrainian critical minerals will be signed “very soon”.

We’ll be bringing you updates, analysis and reaction as events unfold today – stick with us.