As Kyiv prepares to send its delegation to Saudi Arabia for high-stakes talks with the United States, Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine with increased strikes on civilian targets and new battlefield gains.
Russian air strikes overnight in eastern Ukraine killed [**at least 50 people**](https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-zelenskyy-dobroopillya-udar-rosiya-ataka/33341072.html) in the Donetsk region, according to local officials, with at least 11 deaths reported in the city of Dobropillya.
Russia also claimed that it had retaken three villages earlier captured by Ukraine in its Kursk region -- with unconfirmed reports that thousand of Ukrainian troops risks being encircled by Russian forces -- and the attacks come a day after Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack targeting energy and gas infrastructure across multiple regions of Ukraine.
"Such strikes show that Russia's goals are unchanged," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media late on March 8. "Therefore, it is very important to continue to do everything to protect life, strengthen our air defense, and increase sanctions against Russia."
The series of strikes and battlefield pressure represent another setback for Kyiv ahead of crucial talks with the United States next week in Saudi Arabia, where Ukrainian officials will meet with their US counterparts for negotiations around how to end the three-year war.
Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine is “fully committed” to having a constructive dialogue with US representatives in Saudi Arabia next week over a potential peace settlement.
“Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war. Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively,” he posted on X.
The Ukrainian president said that he will travel to Saudi Arabia and meet with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman on March 10. Afterwards, delegation of Ukrainian diplomatic and military representatives would stay for a March 11 meeting with a US negotiating team.
“On our side, we are fully committed to constructive dialogue, and we hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy will not be part of the the US-Ukraine talks, which will instead be done by a delegation that will include Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak, and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.
They will meet with a US delegation that will reportedly include US President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
The upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia are the culmination of weeks of tough diplomacy and negotiations speaheaded by Washington since it met with a Russian delegation in Riyadh in February.
US-Ukraine ties have since frayed, with tensions culminating in an Oval Office argument in late February between Zelenskyy, Trump, and US Vice President JD Vance that saw the Ukrainian President leave the White House without signing a crucial minerals deal with Washington.
Since then, the Trump administration has paused military shipments and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. The full extend of the intelligence cutoff is unclear, but it has sparked fears that it could lead to Ukrainian setbacks on the frontlines as Russia looks to press for the advantage.
[**The Institute For The Study of War (ISW)**](https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-8-2025), a Washington-based think tank that tracks battlefield developments, said that Russian forces have "intensified their multi-directional campaign to eliminate the remaining Ukrainian salient in Kursk" in the last two days.
European countries like Britain and France has stepped up to provide more intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but are reportedly still not able to replace to full scope of US capabilities.
Waltz suggested on March 5 that Trump may lift the pause on military aid once peace negotiations are arranged and confidence-building measures take place.
In the days leading up to the talks, Trump offered criticism of Moscow's increased attacks on Ukraine in the lead up to talks and mentioned potential sanctions against the Kremlin.
But he also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “doing what anybody would do" and he told reporters in the Oval Office on March 7 that he finds it "easier" to work with Russia than Ukraine and that Putin "wants to end the war."
US diplomacy around ending the war in Ukraine has sparked fears that Washington may look to sidelines Kyiv in talks and force a settlement more in line with Moscow's terms on the country.
Ahead of the upcoming meeting in Saudi Arabia and in response to another night of devastating Russian strikes, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned against being too accomodating to Russia in negotiations.
“This is what happens when someone appeases barbarians,” Tusk wrote on X. “More bombs, more aggression, more victims. Another tragic night in Ukraine.”