It's just gone midday in the London newsroom and if you're just joining us, here's the latest on the war in Ukraine:

• US President Donald Trump is set to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for Ukraine peace talks
• Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the president said the two leaders will address "power plants", "land" and "dividing up certain assets"
• Russia has confirmed that a call between the US and Russian leaders is being planned but would not be drawn on what they would discuss
• This comes after Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs urged the use of all "diplomatic tools" to make Russia accept the US-proposed ceasefire deal
• Elsewhere, at an EU meeting of foreign affairs ministers in Brussels, the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also said Russia's conditions on the proposed ceasefire show "they don't want peace"

Image source, Reuters

• French President Emmanuel Macron and his newly-elected Canadian counterpart Mark Carney held a joint news conference where they said they would demand "clear commitments" from Russia
• Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine continues to rumble on as Russia and Ukraine launched overnight drone attacks on each other, according to officials from both countries
• Ukraine says Russian forces are continuing their attempts to invade the Sumy region, while Ukrainian soldiers have compared fighting in Russia's Kursk region to a "horror movie"

We'll bring you the latest updates as we get them.

Image source, Getty Images

"The ball is now in Russia's court," the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week, after he announced plans for a temporary ceasefire.

Ukraine has agreed, but Russia is yet to. President Vladimir Putin last week said he supports the idea, but added there are "nuances".

He said that the "root causes" of the war must be removed, but did not explicitly state what these are.

Putin went on to list the questions that he wants answered: "How will those 30 days be used? For Ukraine to mobilise? Rearm? Train people? Or none of that? Then a question - how will that be controlled?

"Who will give the order to end the fighting? At what cost? Who decides who has broken any possible ceasefire, over 2,000km (1,243 miles)? All those questions need meticulous work from both sides. Who polices it?"

One of the main areas of contention is Russia's western Kursk region, Putin said, where Ukraine launched a military incursion last August and captured some territory.

He claimed Russia was fully back in control of Kursk, and said Ukrainian troops there "have been isolated".

Ukraine's top general Oleksandr Syrskyi said a day earlier that Ukrainian troops would hold defensive positions in the Kursk region "as long as it is expedient and necessary".

The Russian leader had set so many pre-conditions "that nothing will work out at all", Ukraine's President Zelensky said.

It's yet to be seen if Putin will agree to the plan, but he will speak with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, who has made it clear he wants a deal quickly.

What does Trump mean by 'dividing up certain assets'?published at 11:43 GMT 17 March 2025

11:43 GMT 17 March 2025

James Landale
reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Reuters

President Trump says the US is discussing with Russia and Ukraine “dividing up certain assets”. But what does that mean?

He was not explicit. It could refer to the possible division of territory as part of a potential long-term settlement. But that is unlikely.

Ukraine says it will never accept occupied territory as Russian, and Russia says the four partially-occupied regions in the east are constitutionally theirs.

So Trump is more likely to be referring to territorial issues that may need to be sorted out as part of any short-term ceasefire. This could involve where to draw a “contact line” that might currently bisect towns and villages in a way that is impractical.

It could refer to safe access to Black Sea ports.

One issue President Zelensky has specifically raised is Ukraine’s demand to take back control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently occupied by Russian forces, including the nearby town of Enerhodar where many of the workers live.

France and Canada are “powers of peace” and will continue to stand by Ukraine’s side, French President Emmanuel Macron says.

During a joint press conference between Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Macron adds that Canada has been by Ukraine and Europe’s side without faltering since the beginning of the war.

Macron also says the two nations will continue to support Ukraine and demand “clear commitments” from Russia.

“We both stand for sovereignty and security… demonstrated by our unwavering support to Ukraine,” Carney says, adding that in a crisis it’s now very important for Canada to strengthen ties with reliable partners.

Image source, Reuters

The new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived at France's Elysee Palace on his first trip abroad.

He was welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The two leaders will discuss the war in Ukraine, we'll bring you any lines on Ukraine from their press conference, which is currently taking place.

Several regions in Ukraine are without power after Russian drone attacks, says Ukrenergo, the state-owned electricity operator.

It says Russia targeted energy facilities in multiple areas, damaging equipment. Emergency repairs are under way.

Ukrenergo is also urging Ukrainians to limit their electricity use.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Civilian casualties continue to be reported after Russian attacks in Ukraine. In the front-line town of Myrnohrad in the eastern Donetsk region, a local resident was killed after a drone targeted his car, Ukrainian police say, external.

In Seredyna-Buda, next to the Russian border in the northern Sumy region, a 65-year-old woman was killed outside her house as Russians opened mortar fire across the border yesterday, Ukrainian prosecutors say, external.

Authorities in Sumy region have repeatedly urged locals living near the border to evacuate, fearing an increase in Russian attacks.

Drones and massive numbers are proving decisive in this warpublished at 10:43 GMT 17 March 2025

10:43 GMT 17 March 2025

Frank Gardner
reporting from Berlin

"Quantity has a quality all (of) its own" is a quote often attributed to the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin during the battles of World War Two. And so it has proved in the most recent phase of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Ukraine’s forces have often been better equipped, better led and better motivated.

Yet that has proved no match for Russia’s massive advantage in sheer numbers of men and munitions that it can hurl at the front lines.

Moscow put its economy on to a war footing long ago, appointing an economist as defence minister and diverting close to 40% of the state budget to defence, its factories churning out artillery shells and drones.

While Nato countries debate whether to raise their defence spending to 3% of GDP, Russia is spending more than double that - its highest level since the Cold War.

As well as mass, drones have proved a game-changer in this war. Both sides use them with devastating effect.

For a while Ukrainian electronic warfare specialists were able to jam the signal on Russian battlefield drones but Moscow got around this by loading them with thin, fibre-optic cables that can spool out from the back of the drone for several kilometres, making them impossible to jam.

Again, the high numbers of these have had a major impact on infantry, especially those caught out in open country.

Ben Tavener
Moscow producer

The Kremlin has confirmed that a call between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is being prepared for Tuesday.

“Yes, that’s true. A call is being planned for Tuesday,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tells reporters on Monday.

Peskov would not be drawn on what the two presidents would discuss specifically regarding Ukraine peace talks, when asked whether they would broach questions of Ukraine territory and power plants, as mentioned by Donald Trump.

“We never do that,” Peskov says.

Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs urges the use of all "diplomatic tools" to make Russia "unconditionally" accept the US and Ukraine's peace proposal.

Speaking about the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, Andrii Sybiha says he has "focused on efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s and Europe’s defence capabilities".

He also says he has been concentrating on "self-sufficiency, advance sanctions policy, and proceeding on Ukraine’s EU accession path".

Image source, EPA

More now from Brussels, where foreign affairs ministers from across the European Union are gathering this morning.

They will be discussing the ongoing war in Ukraine, and ways to bring about peace, after an exchange with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, who is joining via a video call.

The council will also discuss EU-US relations and the situation in the Middle East.

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Which Ukrainian power plants will Russia and the US be discussing?published at 09:56 GMT 17 March 2025

09:56 GMT 17 March 2025

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

US officials say they are planning to discuss the fate of a key Ukrainian power generating facility with Russia as part of peace talks.

Although they did not name the facility, it is likely to be the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. It has been occupied by Russian forces since March 2022, and fears of a nuclear accident have persisted due to fighting in the area.

As we reported, US President Trump said on Sunday evening that he and President Putin will be “talking about power plants” in their telephone conversation on Tuesday.

Although he used the phrase in the plural, there do not appear to be any other power plants so big and so close to the front line that they could be discussed as bargaining chips in key negotiations.

Image source, Reuters

Earlier, last Thursday, Trump said there was "a very big power plant involved; who is going to get the power plant".

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy who spoke to Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow also last Thursday, says “there is a nuclear reactor that supplies quite a bit of electricity to the country of Ukraine. That's got to be dealt with”.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has six reactors. It has not been supplying electricity since September 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also suggested on Friday that the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been discussed between Ukrainian and US negotiators.

In eastern Ukraine, Moscow's war machine has been churning mile by mile through the wide open fields of the Donbas, enveloping and overwhelming villages and towns.

Russian attacks have intensified, hitting the Donetsk Region harder, but also Kharkiv and Odesa.

Russia's biggest advantage is manpower and it has shown a willingness to throw soldiers at Ukrainian positions to gain a few metres at a time.

Ukrainian military intelligence says about 620,000 Russian soldiers are operating in Ukraine and Kursk, according to experts at the Institute for the Study of War.

Russia has continued advancing to the north east, towards the city of Pokrovsk, where they have been met by Ukrainian forces.

• Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia

Image source, Reuters

As we reported a short while ago, the EU's Foreign Affairs Council is meeting this morning to discuss the ongoing Ukraine war.

We've got a little more on that now from Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief. She says she welcomes the peace talks in Jeddah, referring to negotiations between the US and Ukrainian officials in the Saudi Arabian city last week, where a 30-day ceasefire proposal was put forward.

"The ball is in Russia's court," she says in the video posted on her account on X, adding that whether they want peace is "a big question".

She says the conditions demanded by Russia for any ceasefire in Ukraine show that Moscow doesn't really want peace.

It's expected that there will be a news conference after the meeting today.

Stay with us and we'll bring you the key lines when it happens.

Russia will demand security guarantees from the Nato alliance military alliance and from the US in any agreement on Ukraine, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko has said.

Part of those demands include Ukraine's exclusion from membership of Nato, which is a major ambition of President Zelensky.

"Only through the formation of ironclad security guarantees will it be possible to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine," Grushko tells Russian newspaper Izvestia.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us, or are in need of a quick summary, here's the latest:

• US President Donald Trump says he plans to discuss "power plants" and "land" with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday when they hold talks on ended the war in Ukraine

• Russia and Ukraine launched overnight drone attacks on each other, officials from the two countries have said
• The Ukrainian Air Force says Russia attacked the country overnight with 174 drones
• Russian officials say they destroyed 72 Ukrainian drones, some of which targeted energy facilities in the country's Astrakhan region, injuring one person and sparking a fire
• Ukraine says Russian forces have continued efforts to invade the Sumy region of northern Ukraine, following a Russian counter-offensive in Kursk
• The EU's Foreign Affairs Council will be meeting this morning to discuss security and how to bring peace to Ukraine. "The decisions of today will shape the security of tomorrow," Lithuania's foreign minister has said

Stick with us for the latest updates and analysis.

Image source, Reuters

The head of the Ukrainian president's office says his country will continue to respond to Russian attacks "until Putin stops the war".

"Russia continues to attack; Ukraine is responding to the attacks," Andriy Yermak says in a post on X.

His comments come after Russia and Ukraine launched overnight drone attacks on each other, according to officials from both countries.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine has said there were 112 clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces yesterday.

Russia launched air strikes in several settlements across Ukraine, while the Ukrainian forces struck areas with Russian personnel and military equipment, the Ukrainian army adds on social media.

Image source, Reuters

As Trump prepares to speak with Russia's President Putin tomorrow, the EU is continuing its own efforts to bring peace to Ukraine. Its foreign affairs council will meet this morning to discuss security.

Speaking beforehand, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says Russia's conditions on the proposed ceasefire show that "they don't want peace".

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Apparently building up on the success of their counteroffensive in Kursk region (see our previous post) Russian forces continue their efforts to cross the border and invade another part of Ukraine: northern Sumy region.

Russian forces have been using small assault groups to attack Ukrainian positions, and also subversive groups to carry out reconnaissance and plant landmines, Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian State Border Service, tells Ukrainian TV this morning.

But, he claims, the Ukrainian army has been "destroying these groups of infantry either after they cross into our territory or even as they’re approaching the border".

As we reported last week, the authorities in Sumy region say Russian attacks have intensified and are now ongoing along the whole stretch of the region’s border with Russia.

One civilian has been killed in Russian attacks on Sumy region, the regional administration said in an update, external yesterday evening.

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent, reporting from Ukraine

Image source, Russian Defence Ministry

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Russia's Kursk region have described scenes "like a horror movie" as they retreated from the front lines.

The BBC has received extensive accounts from Ukrainian troops, who recount a "catastrophic" withdrawal in the face of heavy fire, columns of military equipment destroyed, and constant attacks from swarms of Russian drones.

Ukrainian restrictions on travel to the front mean it is not possible to get a full picture. But five Ukrainian soldiers described to us what had happened.

On 9 March, "Volodymyr" sent a Telegram post to the BBC saying he was still in Sudzha, a town in Kursk, where there was "panic and collapse of the front".

Ukrainian troops "are trying to leave - columns of troops and equipment. Some of them are burned by Russian drones on the road. It is impossible to leave during the day."

Movement of men, logistics and equipment had been reliant on one major route between Sudzha and Ukraine's Sumy region.

Volodymyr said it was possible to travel on that road relatively safely a month ago. By 9 March it was "all under the fire control of the enemy - drones around the clock. In one minute you can see two to three drones. That's a lot," he said.

"We have all the logistics here on one Sudzha-Sumy highway. And everyone knew that the [Russians] would try to cut it. But this again came as a surprise to our command."

• Read the full piece from Jonathan here