Putin discusses Ukraine in call with Saudi crown prince

MOSCOW, Mar 14 (Agencies): Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the telephone to discuss a possible settlement of the Ukraine conflict, the Kremlin said Friday.

The call took place shortly after Putin on Thursday said he had "serious questions" about Washington's plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine but added that Moscow was ready to discuss it with US President Donald Trump.

Putin told the crown prince he "greatly appreciated the mediation efforts of Saudi Arabia", which hosted talks talks between Russian and American officials on February 18, a Kremlin statement said.

Prince Mohammed "noted the importance of resolving the Ukrainian crisis and expressed readiness to continue to contribute in every possible way to the normalisation of Russian-American relations", it said.

The United States has proposed a 30-day truce in Ukraine, already accepted by Kyiv. US envoy Steve Witkoff-who arrived in Moscow Thursday-was due to present to the Russian side.

Putin and Prince Mohammed also discussed bilateral cooperation and its "importance" for "the stability of the global oil market", the Kremlin statement added.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones attacked energy facilities and a missile storage facility in Russia overnight, a security source in Kyiv said Friday, while a Russian aerial attack wounded several in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian and Russian drone barrages were less intensive compared to previous days and came after US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah proposed a 30-day ceasefire that the Kremlin on Friday said it was 'cautiously optimistic" about.

The source said drones dispatched by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had hit gas compressor systems in the western Russian regions of Tambov and Saratov.

It added that a Ukrainian drone also hit a warehouse storing missiles used for S-300 and S-400 Russian air defence systems.

"The SBU conducted another successful special operation on enemy territory, which caused significant losses to the Russian budget, reduced its ability to finance the war against Ukraine and the military potential of the Russian army," the source said in written comments.

Putin suggests US ceasefire idea for Ukraine needs serious reworking

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia supported a US proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine in principle, but that fighting could not be paused until a number of crucial conditions were worked out or clarified.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has left hundreds of thousands of dead and injured, displaced millions of people, reduced towns to rubble and triggered the sharpest confrontation for decades between Moscow and the West.

But Putin said any agreement must address what Moscow sees as the root causes of the conflict, a major caveat that suggests any ceasefire will take longer than Trump wants.

EU urges member states to give Ukraine up to 40bn euros of arms this year

The EU is pressing its member states to commit to giving Ukraine up to 40 billion euros of weapons this year, according to a proposal seen Friday, as questions swirl over US support.

President Donald Trump rocked Kyiv and its European backers by briefly suspending Washington's military aid for Ukraine after a bust-up with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

The proposal from EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas seeks to get countries in the bloc to "accelerate and focus" on meeting Kyiv's most pressing needs as its forces struggle against Russia.

"Participating states are encouraged to deliver military support to Ukraine in 2025 with a provisional value of at least EUR 20 billion, and potentially reaching EUR 40 billion pending Ukrainian needs," the document seen by AFP said. The proposal says that countries should contribute according to their "economic weight" and part of the plan would involve giving Ukraine two million artillery shells in 2025.