Ukraine Launches Major Drone Attack on Russia Ahead of Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia

The attack came ahead of a meeting between Ukrainian and American officials at Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

AP
This photo released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev official telegram channel shows the site where one of the shot down Ukrainian drones fell, outside Moscow, Russia, on March 11, 2025. AP

Ukraine launched its biggest drone attack on Russia since the war began three years ago, killing at least one person at Moscow and causing the suspension of flights at two of the capital’s airports. 

“Today at 4 a.m. a massive drone attack began on Moscow and the Moscow region. At the moment, one person is known to have died and three were injured,” Governor Andrei Vorobyov of the Moscow Region said. 

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that 337 drones were either shot down or intercepted over 10 regions across the country, with some hitting apartments and buildings. 

The large-scale attack caused Zhukovo and Domodedovo airports at Moscow to halt all flights. Restrictions on both airports were lifted again on Tuesday morning. 

The attack came ahead of a meeting between Ukrainian and American officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as Washington continues to push for an end to the war. Ukra is “ready to do everything to achieve peace. No one wants peace more than Ukrainians,” Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, said ahead of the meeting at Jeddah. 

Secretary of State Rubio suggested on Monday that Ukraine make concessions to end the war. 

“What we want to know is, are they interested in entering some sort of peace conversation and general outlines of the kinds of things they could consider, recognizing that it has been a costly and bloody war for the Ukrainians,” Mr. Rubio told reporters. 

“And it’s hard in the aftermath of something like that to even talk about concessions, but that’s the only way this is going to end and prevent more suffering,” he added.

Mr. Rubio meanwhile stressed that he wouldn’t set any conditions on “what they have to or need to do. I think we want to listen to see how far they’re willing to go and then compare that to what the Russians want and see how far apart we truly are.”

President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will also participate in the talks at Jeddah, telling Fox News on Monday that he was “really hopeful. All the signs are very, very positive. I think that we’re going over there with an expectation that we’re going to make substantial progress.” 

President Zelensky met with Saudi Crown Prince and the de facto ruler Mohammed Bin Salman at Jeddah on Monday, saying they had a “detailed discussion on the steps and conditions needed to end the war and secure a reliable and lasting peace.”

“I specifically emphasized the issue of the release of prisoners and the return of our children, which could become a key step in building trust in diplomatic efforts. A significant part of the discussion was dedicated to the formats of security guarantees,” Mr. Zelensky added. 

As for the talks between Ukraine and America on Tuesday, Mr. Zelensky said he hoped for “practical outcomes. Ukraine’s position in these talks will be fully constructive.”

Saudi Arabia, he continued, is ready to invest in Ukraine’s security, energy, and infrastructure: “We share a common vision for economic development and interaction, particularly regarding Ukraine’s reconstruction.”

EU’s Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, meanwhile, warned on Tuesday morning that President Putin “cannot be trusted.”

“Vladimir Putin has proven time and again that he is a hostile neighbor, he cannot be trusted, he can only be deterred,” she said.


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