US, Ukraine come to agreements after talks in Saudi Arabia

US President Donald Trump said he planned to speak to Russia President Vladimir Putin directly after Kyiv signaled that it was open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia.

Russiamust agree to the ceasefire first.

"It takes two to tango as they say," Trump said, adding he hoped Putin would agree to the offer. 

According to Trump, the Russian leader giving his agreement to the US offer would be "75% of the way."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the ceasefire plan drawn up by United States and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia could be a "major turning point."

"Germany, together with our partners, will support the Ukrainian people further down this path," Baerbock wrote on social media.

"It is now up to Russia to end its war of aggression," she added.

French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed the "progress" made in peace talks between Ukraine and the US on a possible ceasefire in the war with Russia.

"The ball is now clearly in the Russian court," Macron said on X.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also voiced his support for the proposal, calling it a "remarkable breakthrough."

"We are ready to bring an end to this war," Starmer said in a statement.

Starmer will convene a phone call of leaders from what he has dubbed the "coalition of the willing" on Saturday.

The group is expected to discuss peacekeeping efforts aimed at deterring Russia from staging further attacks on Ukraine if a deal to end the conflict is reached. 

"We are ready to help bring an end to this war in a just and permanent way that allows Ukraine to enjoy its freedom," he said.

Following Ukraine's support for a proposed 30-day ceasefire, US President Donald Trump said that he hopes to "get this war over with."

"We now have to go to Russia and hopefully President Putin will agree to that also," he said, adding that he thought it was possible to have an agreement solidified "over the next few days."

European leaders have welcomed the news that Ukraine has agreed to a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia.

"This is a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and European Coucil chief Antonio Costa wrote on X. 

"The ball is now in Russia's court." 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it "an important step towards peace."

"Europe stands ready to help reach a just and lasting peace," he added.

Poland's defense minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, said his country was ready to resume its role as a hub for US aid to Ukraine.

"We maintain operational capability all the time and we are fully prepared to resume American support," he told Polish broadcaster TVN24. 

US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz says the outcome of Tuesday's US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia mean it is now a question of "how" not "if" the war between Moscow and Kyiv will end.

"The Ukrainian delegation today made something very clear, that they share President Trump's vision for peace," Waltz told reporters after the meeting in Jeddah, which ran for several hours.

He said negotiators "got into substantive details on how this war is going to permanently end," including long-term security guarantees.

He added that he now planned to speak to Russia about the proposed 30-day ceasefire backed by Ukraine.

"We've gone from if the war is going to end to how the war is going to end," Waltz said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country believes the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia is "positive."

He said it covers the frontline in the conflict, not just fighting by air and sea.

"Ukraine welcomes this proposal ... we are ready to take such a step. The US has to convince Russiato do this," Zelenskyy said, adding that "the American side understands our arguments."

Zelenskyy made the comments in his evening address, following a meeting between US officials and a Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia.

A top aide to Zelenskyy said options for security guarantees to Ukraine were also discussed with the US team, without providing more details. 

Ukraine says it is willing to accept an interim 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, a joint statement from Washington and Kyiv said.

According to the statement, published following the meeting of Ukrainian and American teams in Saudi Arabia, the United States will communicate to Russia that reciprocity is key for future peace between the countries.

The US said it would also resume the intelligence sharing with, and security assistance to, Ukraine. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that it is now up to Russia to accept the proposal.

"The ball is now in Russia's court," he said.

Kyiv and Washington also agreed to sign an agreement for developing Ukraine's critical mineral resources as soon as possible, the statement said.

David Salvo, managing director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund, told DW that the main question coming out of the meetings between Ukraine, the US and Saudi Arabia would be whether Russia is even interested in making concessions.

"What I would like to see coming out of Saudi Arabia is maybe a little bit of flexibility in the American position, to show that it is willing to go to Moscow and ask the same difficult questions of the Kremlin that it's asking of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy," he said.

Salvo added that it's "astonishing" the meetings are taking place without any European participation.

"Here we are in the United States, asking Europe to shoulder the burden of defending Ukraine, and we're not even allowing it to sit at the table."

Talking about the prospect of a potential ceasefire between the two countries, Salvo said he was "skeptical" of the chances such a ceasefire would hold, also due to the fact US support for Ukraine has been significantly reduced by the Trump administration.

"It's in Russia's interest to continue to fight, to continue to consolidate gains, to continue to take as much territory as it can in the coming months," he said.

Watch the full interview below:

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced a plan to offer military training to civilians from next year.

The goal is to ultimately train 100,000 volunteers annually by 2027. Currently, Poland trains roughly 35,000 people per year.

"We must de facto build an army of reservists and our actions will serve this purpose … This will be useful in the event of war," Tusk said.

With European defense dynamics changing in the face of the United States' change in approach toward Ukraine, Tusk is seeking to make Poles more prepared for national defense.

"Anyone who is interested and is between 18 and 60 will receive detailed information on how to complete the training course," he said, adding that there will be other incentives for volunteers as well.

The Polish Interior Ministry also announced it will soon be providing information to the public on how to prepare for potential wartime disasters, including "various hazardous situations" or dealing with long-lasting power outages.

Poland, which borders Russia, spends more than any other European NATO member on defense. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland is also the highest per capita spender of all NATO countries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused NATO and the European Union of steering the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) into a deep crisis during a meeting with the organization's secretary-general.

He claimed that the group’s founding principles are being ''severely violated and ignored," according to Russia's TASS state news agency.

Speaking in Moscow on March 11 during talks with OSCE chief Feridun Sinirlioglu, Lavrov emphasized what he described as the need to restore the organization's original mission.

He noted that Sinirlioglu had taken charge of the OSCE during ''challenging times.'' During the visit, Russian authorities also showed Sinirlioglu the aftermath of reported Ukrainian drone attacks.

Lavrov urged Sinirlioglu to use his experience to guide the OSCE back to its "fundamental principles."

''We are well aware of your track record in the United Nations and in other key positions, including in Afghanistan. We have no doubt that you will do everything possible to return the OSCE to its fundamental principles,'' Lavrov stated. 

Talking to DW, the head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, Bruno Kahl, said that he is optimistic that the United States would "soon be at our side again."

It comes after US President Donald Trump suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

DW takes a look at Russia's use of foreign fighters, some of whom say they were trafficked and coerced to enlist.

The Russian military is driving back Ukrainian forces on Russian territory, according to Moscow.

Ukraine has held parts of Russia's Kursk region since 2024. In recent weeks, however, Kyiv troops have been forced to give ground in the border region.

On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said its troops have reclaimed over 100 square kilometers (around 38.6 square miles) and "liberated 12 settlements." Russian media and bloggers claimed their forces crawled through pipelines to surprise Ukrainian troops.

On Monday, Ukraine's top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said there was "no threat of encirclement of our units in the Kursk region" and claimed Russian troops, reinforced by North Korean infantry, had suffered heavy losses.

At the same time, Syrskyi acknowledged that Ukrainian troops were taking "measures to maneuver to favorable defense lines."

With OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu visiting Moscow, Russian authorities will take him to one of the sites of overnight drone attacks, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Sinirlioglu will see "where these drones landed, where they exploded," she told reporters.

Previously, Kyiv said they have launched "the largest drone attack in history" against targets in Moscow, with Russia saying hundreds of Ukrainian drones have been shot down. At least two people have lost their lives in the attack.

OSCE head Sinirlioglu was scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later in the day.