Ukraine-Russia warfare newest: US and Russia to difficulty joint assertion whereas Saudi peace talks proceed

Moscow has accused the Ukrainian military of deliberately targeting a group of Russian journalists working in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine.

Alexander Fedorchak, a war correspondent from Russia’s Izvestia media outlet, camera operator Andrei Panov and driver Alexander Sirkeli who worked for the Zvezda television channel, were all killed according to the Russian foreign ministry.

The reports have not been independently verified.

“The (artillery) fire was targeted. They were deliberately targeted to kill them. The Kyiv regime continues its atrocities against journalists and people who do not have weapons in their hands,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

As we reported, officials from Washington and Kyiv have been engaged in a second round of talks in Saudi Arabia this morning, after first meeting on Sunday night.

These talks have now concluded, Ukrainian media reports.

Discussions appear to have lasted little over an hour, following the mammoth 12-hour talks between US and Russian delegations on Monday.

For the past few weeks, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has been scrambling to rebuild ties with the White House after the infamous Oval Office clash with Donald Trump.

But Mr Zelensky, it turns out, made one mistake which could have altered the entire course of the visit.

The wartime leader had brought with him a gift – the championship belt of Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk. Taking his seat next to Mr Trump in the Oval Office, he placed the belt on a side table.

He had initially planned to reach over and hand the belt to Mr Trump in front of the journalists, according to an in-depth interview with Time.

Instead, the president picked up a folder containing gruesome photographs of the victims of the war in Ukraine, a move which US officials say the meeting started going in the wrong direction.

“He has family, loved ones, children. He has to feel the things that every person feels,” Zelensky told the magazine. “What I wanted to show were my values. But then, well, the conversation went in another direction.”

No plans have been made for a conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mr Peskov said that such a conversation could be quickly organised whenever needed.

The leaders spoke over the phone one week ago, when Putin declined the US president’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine – but agreed to a moratorium on attacking energy infrastructure.

The contents of yesterday’s bilateral talks between Russia and the US will not be made public, the Kremlin has said.

Moscow and Washington are analysing the outcome of the discussions after reporting back to their respective governments, spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“You see, we are talking about technical negotiations that go deep into details. Therefore, of course, the content of these negotiations will definitely not be published. This should not be expected,” Peskov said.

“Secondly, I repeat once again, the reports back to the capitals are now being analysed. Only then will it be possible to talk about some understandings.”

It comes despite reports that the two countries were set to release a joint statement. Sources familiar with the matter told CBS News that the statement was scheduled for 4am EDT (8am GMT) – but no statement has yet been released.

A portrait of President Donald Trump, commissioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been gifted to the US leader, the Kremlin has confirmed.

Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed the gift was given to Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, during a meeting in Moscow earlier in March.

Peskov declined to offer further details.

The existence of the portrait came to light in an interview between Witkoff and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Witkoff told Carlson that Trump was “clearly touched” by the “beautiful” painting.

Ukraine’s air force struck a cluster of Russian troops, wounding and killing around 30 soldiers, Kyiv’s General Staff has claimed.

“The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully struck the area in Kondratovka in Kursk Oblast where enemy personnel were concentrated.

“The target was completely destroyed and up to 30 occupiers were killed or wounded,” the military write on Telegram.

Ukrainian troops have lost control over large swathes of land in Russia’s Kursk region in recent weeks, following a major counteroffensive by Putin’s forces.

Bloomberg News reports that officials from the US and Ukraine have opened a new round of talks in Saudi Arabia.

It follows a long round of talks between delegations from Moscow and Washington in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Saudi Arabia on Monday.

Mark Almond, director of Oxford’s Crisis Research Institute, considers whether Russia wants peace fast – and whether Ukraine could be abandoned by Washington:

Behind a smokescreen of talks about “technical details” in the Saudi capital, secret dealings on the big questions of the peace deal are likely in play. The question is: will Putin accept Trump’s rush for peace – or does he think drawn-out negotiations can better serve the Kremlin’s aim of permanently weakening Ukraine?

If the Russian media are celebrating Witkoff’s praise for Putin’s “sincerity”, Ukrainian newspapers are pondering whether their country is going to suffer the fate of South Vietnam, abandoned by Washington 50 years ago.

America is the only superpower that survives – even prospers – despite its proxies falling like dominoes.