Zelensky in Riyadh to discuss peace plan and return of POWs

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

High on the agenda is Zelenky's 10-point peace plan, based on a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukraine, reparations and punishment of war criminals, as well as the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war and their return under mediation by Riyadh.

"The Kingdom's leadership has already contributed to the release of our people. I am confident that this meeting will also yield results," Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The two leaders are also going to discuss economic cooperation and "Saudi Arabia's involvement in Ukraine's reconstruction," according to Zelensky.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than two years. For its campaign, Kiev has received massive international support mostly from Western allies in the form of weapons deliveries, humanitarian aid as well as sanctions against Russia.

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, however, while supporting Kiev, also continues to maintain ties with Russia. This has made the country a go-between in the war.

In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Riyadh in a rare trip abroad.

Last August, the kingdom hosted a Ukraine conference in the coastal city of Jeddah, where envoys from several countries agreed to continue "international consultations" to build common ground for peace.

But little seems to have been achieved on that front since then, with Russian and Ukrainian forces essentially engaged in gruelling trench warfare for months.

Most recently, the Russians were able to record some successes, particularly the takeover of the eastern city of Avdiivka. Ukrainian forces withdrew from the strategically important industrial city in the Donetsk region shortly before the war entered into its third year on February 24.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday reported that Moscow's troops had made further gains, having occupied an additional 327 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory this year.

"Last week, the Ukrainian armed forces were driven out of the villages of Pobieda, Lastochkyne and Severne," Shoigu said at a meeting of the ministry in Moscow.

The information could not be independently verified.

On Monday, the Ukrainian army announced a retreat to new defence positions west of Avdiivka, which had been captured by Russia after months of fierce fighting. According to a spokesman for troops in the south-east, Dmytro Lykhoviy, the new defensive line is to run along the villages of Berdychi, Orlivka and Tonenke.

Shoigu was confident of victory after the storming of Avdiivka. Russian troops had improved their tactical positions both in the area and in the north of Ukraine near the district town of Kupiansk, he said.

Ukraine has been losing 800 soldiers a day since the beginning of the year, he added. Total Ukrainian losses since the beginning of the war amounted to 444,000 soldiers, according to Shoigu.

The statements cannot be verified independently. Most recently, Ukrainian President Zelensky put the number of Ukrainian losses at 31,000.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ukraine reported new Russian missile and drone attacks overnight and the air force said that only two of a total of six missiles were intercepted across the country.

However Ukraine was able to intercept 11 of the 13 Russian drones. The attacks affected Kharkiv, Sumy and the Dnipropetrovsk regions. Explosions were reported in Zaporizhzhya and Poltava.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian media reported the alleged occupation of two more villages near Avdiivka by Russian troops, citing the well-known military telegram channel DeepState.