Asya Robins
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

It won't be the first time that Putin and Trump have spoken this year - but tomorrow's phone call between the two leaders is shaping up to be a significant one.

For one, it'll mark the first known conversation the two presidents have had since Ukraine agreed to support a US-backed ceasefire.

The Kremlin confirmed earlier today that preparations were being made for the call, but refused to be drawn on what exactly they would discuss.

The White House has said that Trump plans to discuss "land", "power plants", and "dividing up certain assets".

Ukraine will undoubtedly be top of mind for both leaders, particularly since it was just one week ago that American and Ukrainian delegates agreed on proposals for a 30-day ceasefire - Putin said that he supported the idea, but added there are still "nuances" to be worked out.

Today, European and Ukrainian officials have voiced their opinions on what the outcome of tomorrow's talks might be - with some putting pressure on Putin to provide more receipts for his supposed support of a ceasefire.

Regardless of the content of the conversation, it's sure to carry weight in the future negotiations for peace in the region.

We'll be following updates about that call and from across the region on this page tomorrow. Until then, here's a selection of BBC content to keep you informed on the latest:

• Russia urged to prove it wants peace with Ukraine
• 'Everything is finished': Ukrainian troops relive retreat from Kursk
• Peace deal must bar Ukraine from Nato, Russian official says
• Prospect of Ukraine ceasefire still uncertain despite Trump's optimism

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

We've just heard from Donald Trump, who is currently on a visit to the nearby Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts here in Washington DC.

Speaking to reporters briefly, Trump says he hopes to discuss the plight of Ukrainian soldiers during his call with Putin tomorrow, who he says are currently surrounded by Russian forces.

"If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't be here any longer," he says. "I was able to get them [the Russians] not to do anything at this moment."

Trump again expresses optimism that the two sides, with US mediation, will be able to come to a ceasefire and ultimately a peace deal.

We'll soon be pausing our coverage on the war in Ukraine, but before we go, here's a quick look at what's been going on today:

• US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to discuss a ceasefire negotiation during a phone call tomorrow
• More than 30 countries will be involved in a "coalition of the willing" to help Ukraine, Downing Street confirmed earlier today
• Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russia "can't really be trusted" and accused Moscow of "not coming to the negotiation table"
• David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, similarly called into question Putin's intentions, saying in the Commons earlier that he must "prove" that he is "serious" about a ceasefire

• The war continued to rage overnight, as Ukraine and Russia exchanged drone strikes, according to officials from both countries, with Ukraine reporting at least one dead and several injured
• Russia has also claimed to be making advances in the Zaporizhzhia region - something Ukraine is denying

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

It's been a dizzying few weeks of diplomatic talks on a ceasefire in Ukraine. If you are struggling to following along, let's take a look at how we got here:

• 12 February: US President Donald Trump calls his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, where the leaders agree to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, before speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
• 18 February: US and Russian officials meet in Saudi Arabia to hold talks on the war
• 19 February: Zelensky accuses Trump of living in a Russian "disinformation space" and Trump labels Zelensky a "dictator"
• 26 February: Trump says Zelensky will sign an agreement on sharing his country's mineral resources when he visits the White House
• 28 February: That meeting at the White House descends into a fiery exchange as Trump accuses his Ukrainian counterpart of being "disrespectful" to the US - something the Ukrainian leader rejects
• 3 March: The US announces it is "pausing and reviewing" its military aid to Ukraine
• 4 March: Zelensky releases a statement that describes the White House row as "regrettable" - Trump says he "appreciates" a letter he says he received from Zelensky
• 11 March: US and Ukrainian officials announce a 30-day ceasefire proposal and the resumption of US intelligence and security assistance to Ukraine
• 13 March: Putin says he agrees with the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine but “questions” remain about the nature of the truce. Zelensky says Putin’s response is “manipulative”
• 16 March: Trump says he will hold a call with Putin on Tuesday to discuss the peace deal, land and power plants - the Kremlin confirms the next day that a conversation between the two leaders is being planned

Starmer's 'coalition of the willing' begins to take shapepublished at 19:04 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March

19:04 GMT 17 March

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

At the end of his virtual summit on Saturday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his “coalition of the willing” for Ukraine was getting bigger all the time.

Now, a spokesman says that more than thirty countries are expected to contribute in one way or another, with what he calls a “significant number” providing troops.

Until now, only Britain and France have said they would be willing to put boots on the ground, so this sounds like progress. But it’s not known who those additional countries are or what the other contributions will be, although the spokesman did cite engineering support and the use of airfields as two possible areas.

The details of what is clearly an evolving picture are due to be developed at a meeting of defence chiefs in London on Thursday.

Russia insists it won’t agree to any Nato members sending troops. Number 10 seems undaunted. Russia, it says, can’t dictate the make-up of a peacekeeping force.

Another important area of doubt concerns what - if any - help the United States is willing to offer to this largely European force.

So far, the Trump administration appears to have ruled out getting involved. But for troops to be deployed to Ukraine, the prime minister’s spokesman said, the coalition had to have US backing.

Civilians are continuing to be evacuated from the outskirts of Sudzha, a district in Russia's western Kursk region that was recently retaken by Moscow's armed forces.

According to the acting Kursk region governor, 371 people have been evacuated from "liberated settlements" - including 14 children - since 12 March.

As a reminder, Ukraine launched a military incursion in the Kursk region last August and captured some territory.

However, Putin now claims Russia is fully back in control of Kursk, and Ukrainian troops are "isolated" - reports that Ukrainian officials have denied.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, Ukrainian authorities have said Russian forces are continuing with their efforts to cross the border and invade Ukraine's northern Sumy region.

The Sumy region is across the border from Kursk, an area that Russian troops are currently retaking following Ukraine's mass incursion there in August last year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said that the Kursk operation had established a buffer zone which prevented Russian forces from being deployed in key areas of the front line in eastern Ukraine.

But Russia has steadily been taking territory back, and Ukrainian soldiers have been retreating.

Last week, Russian media reported that President Vladimir Putin visited the Kursk region for the first time since Ukraine's incursion.

Image source, EPA

We've recently been hearing from French President Emmanuel Macron, who says it's time to move toward a concrete peace plan "with all our partners".

"President Zelensky had the courage to accept the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Now it's up to Russia to prove that it truly wants peace.

"Enough deaths. Enough lives destroyed. Enough destruction. The guns must fall silent," Macron says in a post on X.

He adds that the "abuses and sabotage must stop" and that deported Ukrainian children must be reunited with their families - conditions he says Russia must fulfil.

Donald Trump is committed to the plan, Macron says, highlighting how this was something he talked to the US president about when the pair spoke yesterday.

Macron also stresses the need for "solid security guarantees for Ukraine" and a secure lasting peace in Ukraine and Europe.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Responding to another question - this one about Trump's claims that Ukraine-Russia discussions have so far revolved around dividing "assets" - Leavitt says that Kyiv's government and President Zelensky have both been "engaged".

She refuses to give more details, however, saying that it would be "unwise" to "get ahead" of Trump's call with Putin tomorrow.

Leavitt also criticises the Biden administration as "the reason this war began" - a common claim made by Trump and his administration.

Trump, she says, has "made progress" in the ceasefire negotiation.

"Hopefully tomorrow that progress continues," she adds, before the press briefing ends.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC

Here in the White House briefing room, it's a particularly heavy news day, with questions about Ukraine and Russia few and far between so far.

With regards to a potential ceasefire negotiation, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt again says that Trump and Putin will talk tomorrow.

"We've never been closer to peace than at this moment," Leavitt says. "The president is determined."

Much of this news briefing, however, has focused on US immigration issues and other domestic matters.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

A bit earlier today, Russia's Ministry of Defence released a statement saying a village in the Zaporizhzhia region had been "liberated" by its military.

The Ukrainian military is now denying the claims that Moscow's troops captured Stepove, a village in southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

“They’re part of the information war, which seeks to boost their fighting spirit,” says Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Operational Command South. He has told Ukrainian Suspilne TV that the Ukrainian army has not lost any ground in the area over the past two days.

Ruslan Mykula from Deep State, a Ukrainian volunteer project tracking changes in the frontline, also says that Stepove is still under Ukrainian control.

“The occupiers have made several attempts to enter and stay in Stepove, but Ukrainian artillery is very active there,” he tells Suspilne.

More from the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy who has told the House of Commons that he doesn’t see any sign Vladimir Putin will agree to the ceasefire proposals.

But he says a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Canada last week helped "ready the tools to get Russia to negotiate seriously".

"We’re not waiting for the Kremlin. If they reject a ceasefire, we have more cards we can play," he says before discussing economic sanctions on Moscow, targeting energy and defence sectors, squeezing oil revenues and freezing foreign Russian assets.

We can now bring you the latest comments from the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the House of Commons.

Lammy says Vladimir Putin now "stands in the spotlight" and "must answer" after the US and Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire deal last week.

"Are you serious, Mr Putin, about peace?” he asks the House, “will you stop fighting or will you drag your feet?" before demanding: "If you are serious, prove it, with a full and unconditional ceasefire now."

Lammy says Ukraine is "serious about peace" before accusing Russia of playing "lip service to a ceasefire while still pummelling Ukraine".

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Image source, Reuters

The BBC’s US partner CBS News is reporting that the country is withdrawing from the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, which is investigating Russian leaders like Vladimir Putin over Moscow's invasion.

Commenting on those reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:

“The US is gradually cutting unnecessary functions; this means that they think it’s an unnecessary function.”

Image source, Getty Images

Former Ukrainian deputy defence minister, Alina Frolova, says she does not expect "so much success" during tomorrow's talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

"My feeling is that Putin is still the master of withdrawing, postponing," she says.

Frolova adds that the Ukrainian and European position on ongoing peace negotiations is important. "You can't make a deal without Ukraine accepting it," she says.

"I don’t think America can prevail absolutely in these negotiations," Frolova says, adding that the US understands it needs "Ukraine and Europe on board".

Russia's Ministry of Defence has just released a statement on its Telegram channel with an update on its military "progress" in Ukraine.

It says the village of Stepove in the Zaporizhzhia region has been "liberated" by units of the Dnepr military group.

It also says it has defeated Ukrainian forces in the settlements of Tyaginka in the Kherson region and Pavlovka, also in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The BBC cannot independently verify these claims.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

The phone conversation between the Russian and US presidents, which is expected to take place tomorrow, is “an important step which sets the tone for reviving relations between the two countries,” Russia's official news agency RIA Novosti has quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying.

There are no indications as to when they may meet in person, he adds.

The chair of the foreign affairs committee in the Ukrainian parliament, Oleksandr Merezhko, says the country has limits on how far it would go to accept peace with Russia.

"We have three very firm red lines when it comes to Ukraine," he tells the BBC, listing these as:

• Territorial integrity - "it's not negotiable. We will never agree to any territorial concessions"
• Ukraine’s membership in international organisations, in particular in Nato - "Putin shouldn't decide that"
• Defence capabilities - "We cannot agree to Putin's suggestions, some kind of limits on our defence capabilities"

Merezkho goes on to say that he doesn't know what President Trump expects from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, but adds "Putin has proved many times he's a pathological liar and manipulator".

Trump and Putin are expected to hold talks tomorrow. Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire plan initiated by the US. Russia has said it supports the idea but added that there are "nuances" to be worked out.

Image source, Reuters

Ahead of the talks between Presidents Putin and Trump, the topics for discussion are being prepared, a Kremlin spokesperson says.

Dmitry Peskov says the agenda includes the visit from US envoy Steve Witkoff and various negotiations that have already happened, Russian news agency Tass reports.

Peskov adds: "Those issues that are on the agenda, but mainly, of course, issues of Ukrainian regulation. These are the themes that will be prepared for the president."

Image source, Reuters

One week since the US and Ukraine announced their support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal, let’s look at where the key players stand:

Trump: “A very good chance” the war could end

Although Russia is yet to agree to the ceasefire proposal, US President Donald Trump insisted there is a “very good chance” the war could end.

Addressing reporters, the US leader said he will speak with Putin on Tuesday to discuss the peace proposals – as well as “land” and “power plants” - and may have "something to announce".

Putin: “We support it but there are questions”

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for the idea of a ceasefire last week but set out several conditions for it to happen.

Those conditions include addressing “the root of this crisis,” Putin said, mentioning the future of Russia's western Kursk region, as well as details on who will enforce the ceasefire and how.

Zelensky: Putin is trying to “sabotage” peace

Responding to Putin’s conditions for a ceasefire, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of trying to “sabotage” diplomatic efforts by setting "unacceptable conditions right from the start".

In a post on social media, he also urged the US to put more pressure on Russia and said only the "strength of America" could end the war.