Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff met with a UK advisor ahead of peace talks with the US on Tuesday.

While US President Donald Trump was optimistic ahead of the talks, saying he believed the countries were “going to make a lot of progress”, relations have been strained between the US and Ukraine.

The talks come less than two weeks after an explosive and public argument in the White House between Trump, JD Vance and Zelensky.

UK national security advisor Jonathan Powell met with Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak ahead of the meeting, and on social media Yermak said the pair “exchanged views” on a path to peace.

The number of Britons who believe the US is an ally or friendly rival has collapsed under Donald Trump, a YouGov poll has found.

Since December, the portion who said they considered the US either a friend and ally or a friendly rival has fallen from two thirds (67 per cent) to just over a half (53 per cent).

By contrast, the number who said the US has an unfriendly relationship with the UK or is a “hostile threat” jumped from 12 per cent to 30 per cent. It comes amid the president's aggressive stance on global trade, threatening tariff wars and even a US takeover of Canada and Greenland. And the drop also follows Mr Trump's Oval Office clash with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

The group most likely to still see America under Mr Trump as a friendly country or an ally of the UK are Reform UK voters, with two-thirds still considering the US positively.

Labour voters were least likely to take a positive view of the relationship, at just 51 per cent.

Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin is meeting with counterparts in Paris tomorrow to discuss a “coalition of the willing” agreement on defending Ukraine.

Earlier on Monday, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reiterated Britain’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.

"We're fully committed to working with Ukraine, supporting Ukraine, working with the United States and our informal partners to drive progress towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and that is our focus,” the spokesperson said.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said the group’s support for Ukraine is “unwavering” following a meeting in Sarajevo on Monday.

“Important to be in Sarajevo today. #NATO remains firmly committed to the sovereignty & territorial integrity of [Ukraine]. Political leadership is key to further progress & stability. NATO's support is unwavering,” he said on X.

Volodymyr Zelensky has begun meeting with Saudi officials after touching down in Jeddah this afternoon.

Zelensky met with the Deputy Governor of Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz, ahead of his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sulman later today.

The Ukrainian president’s visit comes ahead of US-Ukraine peace talks, but he won’t be part of those meetings - they will be led by his chief of staff, and ht US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to Donald Trump ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia about a peace deal to end the Ukraine war.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump ahead of the US Ukraine dialogue in Saudi Arabia.

“The Prime Minister said that UK officials had been speaking to Ukraine officials over the weekend and they remain committed to a lasting peace.

“The Prime Minister said he hoped there would be a positive outcome to the talks that would enable US aid and intelligence sharing to be restarted.”

Volodymyr Zelensky has landed in Jeddah ahead of peace talks between Ukraine and the US tomorrow.

The Ukrainian president is not leading his country’s delegation at the talks - that’s the job of his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, alongside Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

They will meet with the American team led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following a “constructive call” between Rubio and Sybiha on Friday.

Both sides hope to find an agreement for ending the war, but the talks come after a tense few weeks of US-Ukrainian relations following a disaterous White House meeting between Donald Trump, his vice president JD Vance and Zelensky.

Ukraine’s military says it has struck two Russian oil refineries in the past two days, in what it described as a strategic hit on Russian supplies.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a translated post on social media that they struck an oil refinery in the Ryazan region and the next day hit a refinery in the Samara region.

The staff post said the Ryazan facility produced 840,000 tons of high-grade jet fuel, but details of the actual damage were being clarified.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his hopes for peace today ahead of talks between US and Ukrainian officials on a potential peace agreement tomorrow.

Zelensky was heading to Saudi Arabia today ahead of tomorrow’s talks in Jeddah to meet with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

In a post on X, Zelensky wrote: “Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason it continues is Russia.

“I am grateful to every unit and every brigade defending Ukraine’s positions, ensuring the destruction of the occupiers, and making every effort to provide our country with the strength needed to bring peace closer.”

The US expects substantial progress in talks with Ukraine this week and hopes that a deal on critical minerals can be signed, president Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday. US negotiators were set to meet with Ukrainians this week in Saudi Arabia.

“I think that we're going over there with an expectation that we're going to make substantial progress,” Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News.

Asked if he thought Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky would return to the US to sign a minerals deal this week, Witkoff said, “I am really hopeful. All the signs are very, very positive.”

Witkoff said among important items on the table will be security protocols for the Ukrainians and territorial issues.

Intelligence sharing also will be discussed at this week's meetings, Witkoff told Fox News just before leaving for the Middle East for talks on Gaza. However, he said, the US never shut off intelligence for anything defensive that Ukrainians needed.