‘Sign of hope’ as Zelenskyy’s chief of staff posts ‘handshake emoji’ as Ukraine peace talks under way

11 March 2025, 14:59

Talks between the US and Ukraine are under way in Saudi Arabia as diplomats discuss how to end the war against Russia.

Volodymyr Zelensky’s top negotiator said Ukraine is ‘ready to do everything for peace’ as the talks began.

Andriy Yermak, Mr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said: “Ukraine is ready to go for this goal because it’s what Ukrainians want the most after more than three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion.”

Talks are taking place between US and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Mr Zelensky held a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s crown prince, yesterday.

Mr Yermak later posted an update on X four-and-a-half hours into the talks, saying “work in progress.”

He also posted a cryptic handshake emoji on X, alongside two photos of US and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah.

Ukrainian political adviser Yuriy Sak told the BBC it was a "sign of hope" that the meeting between US and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah has lasted for more than three hours.

It follows what appears to be one of Kyiv's largest drone attacks on Russia - in which Moscow claims three people were killed last night.

Seventy-three Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow were shot down in a massive attack on Tuesday morning, the Russian capital's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

At least 11 of the drones were shot down in the Ramensky and Domodedovo districts of the Moscow region surrounding the Russian capital, on the messaging app Telegram.

He did not specify where the other drones were shot down, noting only that they were "flying towards Moscow".

The governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, said one person was killed and three more wounded as a result of the drone attack.

The attack damaged seven apartments in a residential building in the Ramensky district, he said.

Mr Sobyanin said the roof of a building in Moscow also sustained damage, which he described as "insignificant."

Footage of the building, published by Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti, showed a charred spot on the facade of a multi-story residential building near the roof, with bits of the building's lining stripped off.

Mr Sobyanin said the roof of a building in Moscow also sustained damage, which he described as "insignificant."

Footage of the building, published by Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti, showed a charred spot on the facade of a multi-story residential building near the roof, with bits of the building's lining stripped off.

The attack, the biggest on Moscow in months, came on the day of US-Ukraine negotiations in Saudi Arabia. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials on the attack.

Authorities also reported shooting down or jamming drones in the Kaluga, Ryazan, Tula and Vladimir regions adjacent to the Moscow region, as well as the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine.

In the Lipetsk region, just south of the Kaluga and Tula regions, one person was wounded in a drone attack.

Rosaviatsia also restricted flights in and out of airports in the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod regions.