Summary

  • Vladimir Putin has visited Kursk for the first time since Ukraine's incursion across the border, Russian media reported, as Moscow claims to have recaptured more of the region

  • It comes as the White House confirms Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff is going to Moscow for talks on a US-proposed ceasefire plan backed by Ukraine

  • It was agreed on Tuesday after Ukrainian officials held talks with the US

  • Earlier today, Trump said a ceasefire deal "would be 80% of the way to getting this horrible blood bath [to end]"

  • Zelensky has said "everything depends on Russia", calling on Moscow to respond to the proposal

  • But Russia has said it would wait to be briefed by American officials before commenting - and that it's "studying statements"

Media caption,

Watch: US team en route to Russia, says Trump

  1. Russia says it will wait for US to present proposalspublished at 10:00 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Vitaliy Shevchenko
    Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

    In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends Russia's President Vladimir Putin's annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on December 19, 2024Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov

    When asked about Moscow’s reaction to the ceasefire proposal, Peskov says: "Look, you’re getting ahead of yourself. It’s not something we want to do.

    "Talking to the media, both Rubio and Waltz said yesterday that they would use various diplomatic channels to pass detailed information about the essence of the conversations in Jeddah to us.

    "We need to receive this information first. We have also contacts scheduled with the Americans in the next few days, in the course of which we expect to receive full information."

  2. Russia: We're carefully studying statements from US-Ukraine talkspublished at 09:50 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Vitaliy Shevchenko
    Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

    More now from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

    "We’re carefully studying the statements made after the meeting.

    "We’re acquainting ourselves with the joint statement issued in Jeddah. We proceed from what was said in Jeddah yesterday. Secretary of State Rubio and National Security Adviser Waltz will via various channels inform us in the next few days about the details of the talks and agreements reached.

    "We also do not rule out the need for a telephone conversation at the highest level [i.e. between Putin and Trump]."

  3. 'Let's not get ahead of ourselves' - Kremlin spokesmanpublished at 09:45 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March
    Breaking

    The Kremlin says it needs to be briefed by the United States on the outcome of US-Ukrainian talks in Saudi Arabia before commenting on whether a proposed ceasefire was acceptable to Russia.

    Addressing reporters at a daily press briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out the possibility of a phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

    Asked about the 30-day ceasefire proposal Peskov says "let's not get ahead of ourselves".

  4. European leaders react: 'Now it's up to Putin'published at 09:42 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Olaf Scholz speaks to reporters this monthImage source, Getty Images

    Some European leaders have been weighing in their thoughts after Ukraine said it was ready to accept a US proposal for an initial 30-day ceasefire on the land, sea and sky with Russia.

    • German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the 30-day ceasefire is "an important and correct step towards a just peace for Ukraine", adding: "Now it's up to Putin."
    • Kyiv's support for the proposal was also welcomed by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who describes it as positive news.
    • And Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics says Ukraine has shown a genuine desire to achieve a just and lasting peace, adding that "the ball is now in Russia's court".
  5. Britain played 'big part' in ongoing negotiations, says Emily Thornberrypublished at 09:31 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Labour MP Emily Thornberry attends a meeting with case workers in her Islington constituency on March 07, 2025 in London, EnglandImage source, Getty Images

    Emily Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, says Britain has played a "big part" in where things currently stand in the war in Ukraine, including proposals for a halt in fighting.

    "We might have peace in Ukraine. This is a step along that road...We need to appreciate what it is we’ve achieved," she tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

    She says the UK's national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, has "earnt his money", noting that the work he has done in helping Ukraine and the US reach an agreement over a proposed ceasefire deal with Russia is an "achievement".

    On the topic of security guarantees for Ukraine, Thornberry says Kyiv needs guarantees from the international community, and that "it's important America is involved in that".

    UK government sources have said the UK was "intimately involved" in the process and last week Powell had worked with his US counterpart Mike Waltz, and German and French officials to fashion a plan for a ceasefire and the steps that might follow.

  6. Russia rejects proposals of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, againpublished at 09:09 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Vitaliy Shevchenko
    Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has yet again rejected proposals for a peacekeeping force to be deployed to Ukraine.

    "I am mostly amazed with this peacekeepers obsession," he says, speaking in English. "This would be not a group, a force keeping peace."

    Speaking in an interview with three US bloggers, Lavrov does not specifically refer to the declaration issued after talks in Jeddah yesterday, but says that "any attempt to approach the Ukrainian crisis, any initiative, - and most of them are very vague - should concentrate on the root causes of the conflict".

    "And Donald Trump confirmed that one of the root causes was Nato expansion," Lavrov says. He also praised Trump’s administration by saying that the US was returning "to normalcy" now.

    The Russian foreign minister criticised the UK and Europe, who, he says, were "preparing something to pressure the Donald Trump administration back into some aggressive action against Russia".

  7. Ongoing talks 'a moment of truth for Russia', says former Ukrainian ministerpublished at 08:55 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    We've just heard from Volodymyr Havrylov, a former Ukrainian deputy defence minister. He tells the BBC the US proposal for an initial 30-day ceasefire is "reasonable" and marks a "moment of truth for Russia".

    "It's not about freezing the conflict," he says, but is a temporary measure "to start some kind of negotiation with Russia".

    But the next steps will depend on Russia's reaction, Havrylov says. "The ball is on their side," he adds.

    In the former defence official's view, Russia is currently in a difficult position because they are "limited with the continuation of the war in terms of the economy", but also can't halt fighting immediately as they have to justify the loss of lives throughout the conflict.

    "It’s a moment of truth for Russia. It's a moment of truth for the administration in Washington DC to understand who the real aggressor is in this conflict."

  8. Warsaw confirms US military supplies to Ukraine through Poland have resumedpublished at 08:34 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Adam Easton
    Warsaw Correspondent

    Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski attends the weekly government meeting at Chancellery of the Prime Minister in Warsaw, Poland, March 11, 2025.Image source, Getty Images

    Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski says US military supplies to Ukraine through Poland have resumed and the Starlink satellite system used by the Ukrainian military is working.

    Speaking after a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, in Warsaw, Sikorski says military supplies from the international hub for military and humanitarian aid at Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in south-eastern Poland near the Ukrainian border had resumed.

    "I confirm that weapons supplies through Jasionka have returned to earlier levels. I understand that Starlink is also working," Sikorski tells reporters outside the foreign ministry.

    The Polish minister confirms both Warsaw and Kyiv are satisfied with the new proposals to end Russian aggression against Ukraine.

    Ukraine's foreign minister says the results of the talks in Saudi Arabia with the US were "very important, almost historic".

    "Ukraine is the country that most wants to end this war and conclude a just, permanent peace," Sybiha adds.

  9. 'Biden was the enemy, Trump is a rival', former Putin adviser tells BBCpublished at 08:25 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Sergei Markov, a supporter of and former adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, believes the relationship between the Kremlin leader and Donald Trump could itself make a difference during the ongoing Ukraine ceasefire talks.

    Markov tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the relationship between Putin and the new US administration under Donald Trump is significantly different from the rapport between Putin and former US President Joe Biden.

    "Biden was just an enemy, Trump is a rival," he adds.

    Markov says the ceasefire proposals give Putin a "dilemma", adding that Russian society "is tired of the war and wants to have peace".

  10. Analysis

    US-Ukraine agreement shows a deal is never dead with Trumppublished at 08:00 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Anthony Zurcher
    North America correspondent

    US President Donald Trump climbs out of a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.CImage source, EPA

    Don't call it a breakthrough, as there is still a long way to go before lasting peace.

    But Tuesday's agreement between the US and Ukraine over a proposed temporary ceasefire in the war with Russia represents a remarkable change of course.

    Just a week ago, the US suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine in the aftermath of the bitter meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump at the White House.

    That US and Ukrainian diplomats were able to improve relations and chart a path forward serves as another illustration of how Trump, despite his apparent bluster and willingness to hurl insults, always appears open to further negotiations.

    For him, in fact, the swagger and browbeating are often an integral part of the negotiating process.

  11. Four killed in overnight Odesa port attack, deputy PM sayspublished at 07:41 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Vitaliy Shevchenko
    Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

    A photo of a burnt out side of a ship which was subjected to a missile strike overnight, Ukraine has saidImage source, Oleksiy Kuleba
    Image caption,

    A Barbados-flagged cargo ship was damaged in the Odesa strike, Ukraine's deputy PM says

    Hours after the agreement in Saudi Arabia was announced, Ukraine's military warned of Russian drones approaching several parts of the country.

    This morning, according to regional authorities, one person was killed and seven injured in a missile attack on Kryvyy Rih, Volodymyr Zelensky’s home town, the regional authorities say.

    Further south in the port city of Odesa, four people - who were Syrian nationals - were killed as Russia attacked a cargo ship bound for Algeria that was being loaded with grain, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.

    Port infrastructure and grain storage facilities were also damaged, he added in his Telegram post.

    Elsewhere, in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, authorities have reported fires at infrastructure facilities, private homes and businesses. A number of homes in Kharkiv were also damaged.

  12. Kremlin intelligence chief has call with CIA director, Russian media reportspublished at 07:27 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Vitaliy Shevchenko
    Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

    The head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin has had a phone call with CIA director John Ratcliffe, Russian news agencies report.

    They discussed "co-operation between the special services in areas of mutual interest and settling crisis situations", the Kremlin's official news agency RIA Novosti says.

    "An agreement has been reached to maintain regular contact with the purpose of assisting international stability and security, as well as lowering confrontation in relations between Moscow and Washington," it adds.

  13. What we know and what happens next - in 145 wordspublished at 07:16 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Peter Bowes
    North America correspondent

    The plan is for a 30-day cessation of hostilities, which can be extended by mutual consent.

    The US is resuming intelligence sharing with Ukraine and military aid - and the deal for America to have a stake in developing the country’s mineral resources is back on track.

    The ceasefire proposal opens the door to negotiations with Russia and also repairs the relationship between Washington and Kyiv, after President Zelensky's public row with Donald Trump.

    The US President said Ukraine's leader would be invited to return to the White House.

    Trump said he would speak with President Putin - and that his National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, would meet the Russian leader in the next few days.

    News of a possible ceasefire deal has been welcomed by Republican and Democratic senators in the US Capital, but with some scepticism, as the US waits for Russia's response.

  14. Russia's position will be determined at home, not abroad - foreign ministry spokeswomanpublished at 07:11 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Spokeswoman of Russia's Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova speaks to the media after a joint press conference of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Organization for Security and Co-operation in EuropeImage source, EPA

    We've just seen comments from Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman who says Moscow's position on the ceasefire proposal would be determined at home and not abroad, according to state-run news agency TASS.

    "The shaping of the position of the Russian Federation does not take place abroad due to some agreements or efforts of some parties," Maria Zakharova says in response to the ceasefire proposal.

    "The formation of the position of the Russian Federation takes place inside the Russian Federation."

    It comes after Zakharova said Russia had not ruled out talks with US representatives in the next few days, according to Tass.

  15. Trump says he hopes to speak to Putin in the next few dayspublished at 06:52 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    After yesterday's ceasefire proposal was announced, Donald Trump told reporters at the White House he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who would "hopefully" agree to the proposal.

    "It takes two to tango, as they say," Trump said, adding he hoped the deal would be agreed in the next few days.

    "We have a big meeting with Russia tomorrow, and some great conversations hopefully will ensue."

    The Kremlin has not yet publicly responded to the 30-day ceasefire offer.

    Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia had not ruled out talks with US representatives in the next few days, according to Russia's state-owned news agency Tass.

  16. US set to present 30-day ceasefire offer to Russiapublished at 06:47 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March

    Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage after Ukraine said it was ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire with Russia proposed by the US.

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he'll present the offer to Russia and that "the ball is in their court".

    Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelensky said it was now up to the US to convince Russia to agree to the "positive" proposal.

    In a joint statement, the US also said it would immediately restart intelligence sharing and security assistance to Ukraine, which Washington had suspended after the unprecedented public row at the White House.

    Tuesday's talks in Jeddah were the first official meeting between the two countries since the extraordinary clash between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last month.

    Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, who was at the Jeddah talks, is due to travel to Russia in the coming days, a source familiar with the planning told the BBC, although this could change quickly.

    Stay with us as we bring you the latest reaction and analysis to the ceasefire proposal.

  17. Ukraine makes strides with ceasefire proposal, as world awaits Russia's responsepublished at 23:09 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Matt Spivey
    Live page editor

    Talks between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia seem to have been fruitful, with a 30-day ceasefire proposal on the table that has been accepted by Zelensky and his officials.

    As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says: "The ball is now in Russia's court."

    It remains unclear how Russia will respond, as the Kremlin says it will make a statement once it has been briefed by Washington. The BBC understands that US envoy Steve Witkoff may visit Moscow later this week.

    Zelensky says Ukraine is "ready to take this step" towards peace, as his deputy head confirms that security assistance from the US has been restored.

    In Washington, US President Donald Trump says he is open to inviting Zelensky back to the White House, following their fiery clash less than a fortnight ago - that sparked international concern over the US-Ukraine relationship.

    As the talks continue, so does the war. Overnight, a "massive" Ukrainian drone attack, believed to be the largest ever on Moscow and the capital region, killed three people.

    Meanwhile, the regional head of Dnipro, in the east of Ukraine, says there has been a large-scale drone attack on the region on Tuesday. Earlier, we reported that children were among six dead in Russian attacks in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, according to local authorities.

    The next steps in the offer of a temporary ceasefire are so far uncertain and, as BBC's Vitaliy Shevchenko writes: "The Ukrainians may be relieved now, but they are by no means out of the woods."

    We're now closing our live coverage for today, thanks for joining us.

  18. Analysis

    Ukraine is singing the tune that President Trump wants to hearpublished at 23:06 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Frank Gardner
    Security correspondent

    This, for Ukraine, is a significant turnaround in fortunes.

    The US negotiators have taken up its offer of a ceasefire at sea and in the air, and doubled down on it, suggesting a comprehensive ceasefire on land as well.

    Done, said the Ukrainians, providing Russia does the same.

    So now, in the words of the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, the ball is in Russia’s court. There are risks for both sides in this ceasefire proposal.

    For Ukraine, there is the danger that the current frontlines become frozen on the map, creating a de facto border between Ukraine proper and all the territory that Russia has seized and illegally annexed.

    But the Americans had already warned Kyiv it would have to give up some of its territory for the war to stop.

    And right now, Ukraine is singing the tune that President Trump wants to hear: a willingness to pause the fighting and a readiness to sign that mineral-sharing deal that Trump is so keen on getting.

    For Russia, a ceasefire does mean giving Ukraine’s forces and its citizens a badly needed breathing space.

    The slow, incremental gains Russia has been making on the battlefield would have to stop. But like Ukraine, Russia’s army is also exhausted and the Kremlin knows that its current losses of up to a thousand casualties a day are unsustainable.

  19. 30-day ceasefire proposal: The BBC's takepublished at 23:02 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    Imogen James
    Live reporter

    As news of the US-Ukraine proposals for a 30-day ceasefire deal flooded into the London newsroom, so did analysis from BBC correspondents - internationally.

    In Ukraine, our correspondent James Waterhouse says it might be an American tune, but Ukraine is finally singing from the same hymn sheet as the US.

    As we await Russia's response, BBC's Diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams writes that now is the time for Russia's intentions to be tested.

    On a similar note, Moscow producer Ben Tavener says it is far from clear how Russia will respond.

    Ukrainians may be relieved now, but they are by no means out of the woods, BBC's Vitaliy Shevchenko says, as much is still to be revealed about the ceasefire offer.

    In the US, North America correspondent Anthony Zurcherwarns that it might be too soon to call it a breakthrough.

    It's a sentiment agreed with by US State Department correspondent Tom Bateman, who says all of this now hinges of Vladimir Putin's response.

    Reporting from the White House, Nomia Iqbal says this is the moment for Trump to prove his relationship with Putin.

    And all of this comes after a massive attack on Moscow and the capital region, as BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg spoke to people on the streets, who asked “How can this happen in Moscow? What about our air defences?"

  20. Will security guarantees be enough to stop Putin? - Ukraine committee chiefpublished at 22:46 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March

    The Chair of the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Committee Oleksandr Merezhko has told the BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight that NATO membership is “the only deterrent” that can repel Vladimir Putin.

    Speaking to Julian Worricker on the programme, he said: “As for other security guarantees, I’m not so sure about that. They can be on the table, they can be discussed, but the question is whether it would be enough to stop Putin.”

    When pressed on the idea that both Russia and the US seem averse to Ukraine gaining such membership, he explained: “When we are talking about our survival, we just can’t stop continuing to insist on the reliable security guarantees. This is about our future… We need something tangible.”

    Today, Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, while the US has said it will restore intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

    Mr Merezkho went on to emphasise that despite not knowing what was said between both parties, he does not believe Ukraine has made any concessions.