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.

Sarah Rainsford
Eastern Europe Correspondent

Lithuanian prosecutors have said Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, is linked to arson attacks last spring on shopping centres in Vilnius and Warsaw.

Two teenagers have been charged with the attack in Lithuania, accused of planting an explosive device in an Ikea store just before closing.

In Warsaw, a huge shopping mall – Marywilska – was burned to the ground.

The news from Lithuanian prosecutors has been used by Poland’s Prime Minister to remind others about what kind of Russia they are dealing with ahead of any peace talks over Ukraine.

As Donald Tusk points out, Russia hasn’t only launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour, it is prosecuting a widespread hybrid war all over Europe.

Writing on X he said: “Good to know [this] before negotiations. Such is the nature of this state”.

The two accused by Lithuania are Ukrainian nationals, fitting a pattern for a series of sabotage and arson attacks across eastern Europe.

Last month, a Ukrainian citizen was found guilty of attempting to set fire to a paint factory in Wroclaw, in western Poland – again, accused of working for Russian intelligence.

Poland closed the Russian consulate in Poznań in response to the case.

More now from the news conference in Brussels with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

Asked how the EU will be involved in the ongoing negotiations on the war in Ukraine, Kallas says the bloc is "discussing matters with different interlocutors".

She describes the continuing peace talks as "shuttle diplomacy", saying "there's no negotiation table".

Image source, EU Foreign Affairs Council

We've just heard from Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, following a morning meeting of the bloc's Foreign Affairs Council.

Speaking at a news conference, Kallas says the council had an "intensive" meeting that covered a wide range of topics, saying there was "broad political support" for a defence initiative totalling €40bn (£34bn).

On the peace talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia that led to a 30-day ceasefire proposal, she says everyone welcomed the results of the talks and reiterates that the "ball is in Russia's court".

"The understanding around the table is that Russia can't really be trusted," she adds. "They will seize this opportunity to present all kinds of demands."

Ukraine and Russia continued to exchange drone strikes overnight, according to officials from both countries.

Ukrainian police said that a local resident was killed after a drone targeted his car in the front-line town of Myrnohrad, in the eastern Donetsk region.

And Ukraine's state-owned electricity operator Ukrenergo reported that several regions across the country have been left without power due to Russian drone attacks.

Below are the latest images coming through from Ukrainian authorities.

Image source, Ukrainian police

Image source, Ukrainian police

Image source, Ukrainian Emergency Services

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Three children have been injured in Russian shelling of the Ukrainian frontline town of Pokrovsk this morning, local authorities report.

Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk regional administration, says in a Facebook post that the children - two girls aged eight and 15, and a 12-year-old boy - had previously been evacuated to a safer region of Ukraine, but their parents later “made the crazy decision to return to Pokrovsk".

“Grown-ups who make their children sit under shelling in frontline towns are infuriating. If you don’t care about yourselves, at least take care of your children! Don’t wait for shells or bombs to hit your home! Evacuate!” Filashkin says.

Pokrovsk is a key logistics hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, which Russians have been trying to capture for many months.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

More than 30 countries will be involved in a "coalition of the willing" to help Ukraine, a spokesman for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says.

The plan, spearheaded by the UK and France, was set out earlier this month and would work to uphold any ceasefire in Russia's war on Ukraine. The PM previously said the UK would back its commitment with "boots on the ground, and planes in the air".

Each country providing peacekeeping troops will have "different capabilities" within the coalition, Starmer's spokesperson says today.

"But this will be a significant force, with a significant number of countries providing troops and a larger group contributing in other ways," he adds. "We're expecting more than 30 countries to be involved."

Operational details are still being discussed but Starmer remains certain that a US security guarantee is essential to secure peace, the spokesman says.

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, Reuters

When assessing how and when Vladimir Putin will agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, it’s important to look at what is happening on the ground in Russia’s Kursk region.

Ukrainian troops launched a mini-invasion last August, capturing a chunk of the region, much to the surprise of Kyiv’s allies and the embarrassment of Moscow.

With the help of around 10,000 North Korean troops, Russia has been fighting back, gradually pushing Ukraine’s forces back towards the border.

That task is now almost complete.

“The Ukrainian military thought that they could hold Kursk as a bargaining chip in negotiations, and unfortunately, that hasn't panned out,” Jack Watling, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute told the BBC.

“The Russians have been able to close the salient and push them out of Russian territory just before the key negotiations get underway.”

It’s not just a diplomatic setback. Around 60,000 Russian troops were deployed to Kursk, tying up valuable resources and helping to slow Moscow’s advance along Ukraine’s long eastern front.

Once the last Ukrainian forces have been pushed out of Kursk, those Russian troops will once again be available for operations elsewhere, increasing the military pressure on Kyiv.

Ukraine was struggling to hold territory in Kursk even before the Trump administration’s decision to withhold military and intelligence assistance.

But even though both were quickly restored, the suspension came at a critical time and probably helped to hasten Ukraine’s retreat.

People living in Kyiv are still uncertain on Ukraine's future after the possibility of a temporary ceasefire was announced.

"We are not one step closer to peace," Tetiana Bortnytska says.

"I don't think that there will be any positive changes, and the fact that they are pressuring us to give up our territories... I'm sorry, I have two brothers there. What are they fighting for?" she tells the Reuters news agency.

Medical student Vladyslav Pryimachenko says "of course there's no trust but politics is politics. Every war comes with negotiations. So that's what we should do."

Ukraine needs to work with US President Donald Trump, he adds, because America is so powerful.

"So, it's not a question whether it's possible to do it or not. That's the reality, we should do this."

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has ordered his Defence Minister Rustem Umerov to put together a team of negotiators who will “interact with partners on all the details of the security system that Ukraine needs, and on implementing decisions being approved at military-political level.”

In the statement posted on social media, external, he says the team will travel to London this week to take part in a meeting of “military representatives.”

Military chiefs from the UK's "coalition of the willing" are expected to meet in London on Thursday to discuss plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine if a ceasefire is agreed. But it's not clear if Zelensky is referring to the same meeting.

Zelensky also says he has met Umerov and the newly appointed Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov to discuss “the situation on the frontline and also interaction with partners on security guarantees for Ukraine.”

Russia may think it's calling the shotspublished at 12:38 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March

12:38 GMT 17 March

Sarah Rainsford
Eastern Europe correspondent

As the Kremlin confirms that Presidents Putin and Trump will talk on Tuesday, US officials are trying to sound positive about doing a ceasefire deal.

But it’s worth considering the tone of comments coming from Moscow right now. It’s sounding extremely bullish.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko just gave a long interview to the Izvestia newspaper. In it he claims the war in Ukraine has shown Nato and the EU that they “underestimated” Russia and “made a huge mistake betting that they could bring about our strategic defeat”.

Like other officials, he underlines Russia’s insistence that Ukraine can never join Nato.

As for peacekeepers, even as Britain and the EU talk about policing a possible ceasefire, Russia says “no” to any Nato or EU troops on the ground.

All of this is couched in talk of supposed Western aggression against Russia – a military build-up on Nato’s eastern flank. It deliberately ignores the evidence of actual Russian aggression - Crimea in 2014, the Salisbury nerve agent attack, multiple acts of sabotage and much more.

But none of this sounds like the tone of a country under pressure or preparing to make concessions.

It seems more like Russia currently thinks it’s calling the shots.