Ukraine and the US are to hold crunch peace talks in Saudi Arabia from tomorrow following a tense few weeks in which relations between Kyiv and Washington looked more fraught than ever, US officials have said they are planning on using the meeting with their Ukrainian counterparts to determine whether Kyiv is willing to make material concessions

After clinging for more than seven months to a gradually shrinking area, Ukraine has seen its position worsen sharply in the past week.

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy are speaking for the first time since a televised Oval Office blowup last month.