The White House insists a peace deal in the Ukraine war is close – after Donald Trump and the Kremlin announce he will speak to Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. Follow the latest here.
false,Monday 17 March 2025 18:24, UK
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One detail White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in the news conference earlier was that Donald Trump will discuss a power plant on the border of Ukraine and Russia with Vladimir Putin tomorrow.
Leavitt did not give any details about which power plant she was referring to, but her comments may have been a reference to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – the largest nuclear plant in Europe.
Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of risking an accident at the plant with their actions.
For context: The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has six units with a one gigawatt capacity each.
It was occupied by Russian troops in early March 2022 and shut down in September that year due to battles near the plant.
Ukraine’s state-owned firm Energoatom has said it does not know the state of the equipment and warned the Russian occupation could result in a serious disaster.
It said because of that it would take up to a year to restart operations at the plant.
Ukraine and Russia “have never been closer to peace” and “we are on the 10th-yard line” according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, but our US correspondent James Matthews says, to extend the American football analogy, “the question is who’s carrying the ball?”
“There is a strong argument to say that’s Vladimir Putin right now,” he adds.
“She was asked about this business of Donald Trump talking about detail, things to be negotiated,” he says.
“She was asked: ‘Has Donald Trump been speaking to the Ukrainians about that fine detail?’
“She seemed to indicate there had been discussions about that. That would be a surprise I think. The Ukrainians want to get to a starting point, which is a ceasefire, and thereafter get into detailed negotiations.
“So we’ll see how that comes out in the wash tomorrow.”
We’ve been listening to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s news conference, where she was asked about ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
She says “we are on the 10th-yard line of peace and we’ve never been closer to a peace deal than we are in this moment”.
“The president is determined to get one done,” she adds.
Asked if Donald Trump would consider putting sanctions on Russia if his phone call with Vladimir Putin doesn’t go well tomorrow, Leavitt replies: “It’s something the president has floated, and certainly he’s willing to do if necessary.”
Leavitt also sidesteps a question on whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy has given Trump authority to divide up Ukrainian assets with Putin.
She says it has been part of the discussion between the US president and his Ukrainian counterpart, but adds further details will come after Trump’s call with Putin tomorrow.
She also declines to answer a question on whether Trump and Putin will discuss Zelenskyy’s future.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is holding a news conference ahead of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s phone call tomorrow.
Watch live on Sky News, in the stream above, at the link below – and follow updates right here.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy was asked further questions about the war in Ukraine by the shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, after he delivered a statement to the House of Commons on the G7 meeting in Canada last week.
He says the pause in US intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine “has not had a material effect” because it was only for a short period.
Discussing the ceasefire proposal, Lammy says the UK is prepared to consider putting British troops on the ground, “but there must be a US backstop”.
“At stake is not only the future of Ukraine but the collective security of our continent and therefore Britain’s direct national interest,” he says.
The foreign secretary also says Russia must “pay for the damage it is causing” in Ukraine, and there will be a discussion on “moving from freezing to seizing” Russian assets.
Here’s a look at what Foreign Secretary David Lammy said about the Ukraine war during his statement to the House of Commons about last week’s G7 meeting in Canada.
Lammy says Vladimir Putin must prove he is serious about peace by agreeing a “full and unconditional ceasefire now”.
He says the G7 countries are “united” in supporting Ukraine and its pursuit of peace.
He says: “Now it is Putin who stands in the spotlight, Putin who must answer, Putin who must choose – are you serious, Mr Putin about peace?
“Will you stop the fighting or will you drag your feet and play games, pay lip service to the ceasefire whilst still pummelling Ukraine? My warning to Mr Putin is this: if you are serious, prove it with a full and unconditional ceasefire now.
“And if Putin does not deliver, and I must tell the House that I currently see no sign yet that he is, the G7 meeting helped us 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 that we can play.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has just given a statement in the House of Commons on last week’s G7 meeting in Canada.
You can watch his speech here:
Three children have been injured by Russian shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, the head of the Donetsk regional administration has said.
Vadym Filashkin said the injured included two girls aged eight and 15 and one boy aged 12.
All three are receiving medical care, he added.
He said the children had “already been evacuated to a safer region, but their parents made a crazy decision to return to Pokrovsk”.
He added: “Adults forcing their children to sit under fire in frontline cities are provoking outrage.
“If you don’t take care of yourself, then at least take care of the children! Don’t wait for a shell or bomb to arrive at your house! Evacuate!”
Earlier, military analyst Michael Clarke explained how Russia could divert troops to the battle for Pokrovsk after gaining the upper hand in the battle for Kursk (see our 13.50 post).
These pictures show Ukrainian servicemen firing a 120mm mortar towards Russian troops on the frontline near the city of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine.
Russian forces are advancing in southern Ukraine and have pushed through part of the Ukrainian lines less than 50km (31 miles) southeast of the city of Zaporizhzhia, according to Moscow officials and pro-Russian military bloggers.
Moscow’s defence ministry said its forces pierced Ukrainian lines and took the village of Stepove in the region.
One of the most influential pro-Russian military bloggers, Yuri Podolyaka, said Russian forces had also pushed their way into the nearby village of Maly Shcherbaky.
“Our units have broken through the first line of defence in the Zaporizhzhia direction,” Podolyaka said.
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