ITV viewers have begged bosses to bring back the hit show two years after the show went off air

Advertisement

ITV audiences have pleaded with bosses to bring back what they say is ‘the best thing on TV’ following a two-year absence.

The broadcaster sparked excitement among fans after posting a video to its official Instagram page featuring Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly presenting their first and final instalment of their popular programme Saturday Night Takeaway.

Saturday Night Takeaway initially debuted in 2002, with the programme taking a hiatus in 2009, before making its comeback four years afterwards in 2013.

Throughout its run, it has garnered numerous honours, including Bafta and National Television Awards (NTA) recognition, reports the Mirror.

Following six years on TV, Ant and Dec revealed they would be stepping away from the programme – describing it as the “perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath”.

Advertisement

READ MORE: I’m A Celebrity fans issue same complaint over ‘missing’ starsREAD MORE: I’m a Celebrity’s Gemma Collins opens up on ‘weird’ moment with weight loss jabs

During that period, they concluded their final series on a triumphant note, featuring numerous adrenaline-fuelled challenges, amusing hidden camera pranks, fresh studio entertainment, and spontaneous surprises.

The presenting pair did not specify when or whether it would ever make a return. Now two years since it vanished from our screens, television enthusiasts have urged ITV to contemplate a revival following their social media upload.

Expressing their response in the comments area, one supporter stated: “Bring it back soon.” Another declared: “Bring Saturday night takeaway back next year! @itv.”

A third remarked: “We need this back ASAP.” Meanwhile one asserted: “Probably was the best thing on TV at the time.” Another speculated: “This makes me think it’s coming back.” One agreed: “I think it’s coming back.” One said: “I wish they would bring it back, it’s a great show.”

One fan insisted: “Bring Saturday night takeaway back next year!” Another joked: “My children and I mourn this show..bring…it….back.” Meanwhile one added: “Need this back.. best thing on TV.”

In a previous interview with Fault magazine, Ant addressed the reasoning behind the programme’s hiatus. He said: “Part of the reason we’re pausing Takeaway is we need a break ourselves, and we need to spend some time with our family. We’ve both got children that we need to spend time with for a little bit.”

He continued: “We need time to think and, and time to step back and look at the bigger picture and just see where we are now. Like I say, we’re turning 49, and what do we want to do next? What’s the next phase of our career?”

The television personality went on: “And we’ve got lots of ideas and lots of offers on the table, lots of options of things we can do. But it’s working on what we do next and where the next chapter begins.

“So that’s what we’re gonna do when Saturday Night Takeaway is out of the way. We’ll sit down, take a bit of time, and re-evaluate everything.”

You can stream Saturday Night Takeaway on ITVX

Jesse Wood is set to become a dad once more, having announced that he’s expecting a baby with girlfriend Gemma Gregory.

The musician, 49, began dating the Made in Chelsea star, 40, following his split from broadcaster Fearne Cotton, 44, to whom he was married for 10 years.

Jesse, who is the son of Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood, and Gemma went public with their relationship four months after Fearne shockingly confirmed they were divorcing via an Instagram statement in December 2024.

Over the past 16 months, Jesse and Gemma have made no secret of their romance, with sources previously claiming they were ‘very happy and in love’.

And now, Gemma has debuted her growing bump as they prepare to expand their brood.

Taking to social media, the reality star posed in a mirror selfie, wearing a crop top and adding the caption ‘Incoming’. She then shared a smiley selfie with Jesse, writing: ‘Made by these muppets’.

Jesse is already a dad to son Rex, 12, and daughter Honey, nine, from his marriage to Fearne. He also has two children with his first wife, Tilly Wood, to whom he was married from 2003 to 2011.

Meanwhile, Gemma, who joined E4’s Made in Chelsea in 2012 and is also the daughter of actor Paul Gregory, gave birth to her son, Benji, in 2014.

Their baby news comes just months after Jesse appeared in court after being caught driving 27mph in a 20mph zone, facing a possible ban.

Speaking of his financial situation in January, the guitarist told Lavender Hill Magistrates Court that he had been struggling to find work.

Representing himself, he said: ‘I was due to be employed in 2024, but it got delayed.

‘At the moment, I’m living off my savings, and I am looking to get employment.’

As reported by the Daily Mail at the time, he added that his recorded income on last year’s tax returns was around £14,000.

This followed him standing down as the director of Reef Band LLP last October, with the last accounts showing the company to be in the red. Jesse also resigned as a director of Tribe Festivals in 2022.

He apologised for his speeding offence and pleaded guilty, resulting in a six-month ban and three additional penalty points.

Because of his plea, he managed to get his fine reduced from £134 to £89. He was further ordered to pay £36 and £130 in contribution to court costs.

Jesse has not spoken publicly about his divorce since Fearne broke the news. She wrote online at the time: ‘It is with a heavy heart that I let you all know that Jesse and I are ending our marriage.

‘Our priority has been and always will be our children.’

Jesse did, however, make a brief mention of where things currently stand when he appeared on Lorraine last March, saying: ‘It’s all very amicable and the kids are doing great. I am in a very good place.’

Fearne also moved on, going public with television director Elliot Hegarty (who is 10 years her senior) earlier last year, which Jo Wood, Ronnie’s ex-wife, who helped to raise Jesse, said ‘shocked’ her.

‘I didn’t expect Fearne to have a new boyfriend. And Jesse was devastated,’ she said in 2025.

‘But sometimes in life, you have to go through these things. It may be daunting at first, but every cloud has a silver lining. Nothing lasts forever. I hope Fearne will be very happy.

‘I’m sure Jesse’s going to be very happy. These things work out. Their time was up – they had to move on.’

Indeed, Fearne, who remained in the West London family home while Jesse moved out, has made it clear that happiness is her priority as she navigates her new chapter.

‘One of the most important things is the people around you – and that is the most important thing in life,’ she told Closer in August.

‘We need good people around us, but we have got to do the work. It is bloody hard.

‘When you start liking yourself and loving yourself, you want to feel better as you know you deserve it.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE: Fearne Cotton shares reaction to ‘life-altering’ scandal of paedophile ex Ian Watkins

The 15-cap wing has endured some injuries in recent seasons, but featured in Wales’ Six Nations campaign

Wales international Mason Grady has become the latest player to sign a new contract with Cardiff.

The likes of Alex Mann, James Botham and Evan Lloyd have all penned new deals in recent weeks – with wing Josh Adams announcing he would be staying at the Arms Park on Thursday.

Homegrown talent Grady is now the latest to commit his future to the Blue and Blacks, having signed a multi-season contract to stay in the Welsh capital.

The 24-year-old has struggled with injuries at times in recent seasons, but has been in good form recently for Cardiff.

“I’m really happy to sign this long-term contract with Cardiff and I’m excited for what the future holds,” said Grady after signing his new deal.

“This is the club I grew up supporting, I can remember fondly coming here as a kid and I have come through the pathway. I have a lot of good friends here and I believe we have huge potential.

“On a personal level, I feel this is the best environment for me to continue my development. I’ve had some set-backs with injuries but feel like I’m getting back to my best and it’s about consistently improving and putting my game on the pitch.

“To come to the Arms Park every day is such a privilege, which I am very grateful for. We have a squad packed with talent, whether experienced players to learn from or exciting youngsters, and we are all competing and driving each other on.

“We are heading in the right direction and are determined to keep doing that. I’m really looking forward to playing my part in the next few years and hope we can do the amazing supporters at the Arms Park proud.”

JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE Latest news, analysis and much more

Grady had previously signed a one-year deal last year with the club, having turned down offers in England to stay in Wales.

Due to his imposing size, standing at 6ft 4ins and weighing 111kg, there’s been a lot of excitement surrounding Grady – who can play either wing or centre – for a number of years now.

Having made his debut for Cardiff during the 2020/21 season, he has now played 59 times for the Arms Park club.

He has also played 15 times for Wales, scoring his second Test try against France in this year’s Six Nations.

“We are very happy to keep Mason at the Arms Park,” said Cardiff coach Corniel van Zyl. “He is a local boy, who has come through the ranks and cares deeply about the club.

“He’s obviously had a few setbacks with injuries recently but he has come back from them well. There was a bit of expectation on him at the beginning, but he settled back nicely and has found some good form in recent weeks.

“His game is definitely growing, he is highly motivated to continue improving and we are excited to see where he can go.

“With his size, pace and power, he has an athletic ability and attributes that are rare in Wales, while his basics are improving every day.

“So we are delighted he has decided to continue his journey in a Cardiff jersey and we look forward to helping him push onto the next level.”

Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news.

On May 7 2026, voters in England, Scotland and Wales will head to the polls. Parliamentary elections are taking place in the devolved Welsh Senedd Cymru and Scottish Parliament, and local elections for over 4,850 councillor roles could have huge implications for local governments throughout England. With all to play for, we asked five experts to tell us what they will be keeping their eye on.

Can Reform compete across the UK?

Jonathan Tonge, Professor of Politics, University of Liverpool

The 2026 elections will reveal whether Reform UK will peak as an English nationalist party, or if they can compete as a genuine nationwide force. Last year’s local elections confirmed that Reform can seriously harm the Conservatives. This year, contests are across councils held mainly by Labour, making the English elections about Reform’s threat to Keir Starmer’s party.

Nigel Farage’s party, which currently has eight MPs, has led opinion polls in England since May 2025, when it won the highest vote in English local elections. Reform took control of ten councils (from a starting point of zero), and gained nearly 700 new councillors. Of these, eight were county council gains from the Conservatives, with another taken from a Liberal Democrat-led coalition. The tenth gain was from Labour in the only metropolitan borough contested, Doncaster.

Reform’s likely gains in English councils aren’t guaranteed elsewhere in the UK however. The party’s polling in Scotland is around ten percentage points behind what it is in England. It may be that Reform is battling Labour for second place, while the Scottish National Party (SNP) continues to dominate.

Reform’s polling in Wales is higher (in the mid-to-high-20% range) but again, the real battle is with Labour for runner-up, as Plaid Cymru seems set to top the poll.

À lire aussi :
Why did the polls get the Caerphilly byelection wrong? They ignored the fact Reform is an English nationalist party

Local results could force tricky coalitions

Alex Nurse, Reader in Urban Planning, University of Liverpool

Local elections are often concerned with local issues – think potholes and bin collections. Councils are also obliged by law to spend a lot of their time and budget on initiatives like adult social care, but these issues are often lost in the broad brush strokes of election campaigns.

It will be interesting to see how the ascendant Greens and Reform present their vision for local government, and what compromises they make to win over local voters. In the recent Gorton and Denton byelection, Green candidate Hannah Spencer made scarce mention of the environment and instead focused heavily on the cost of living and the broader social contract. Similarly, Reform’s promise to mimic the US Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) following the 2025 elections came up short after its newly elected councillors found local authorities already cut to the bone from years of austerity.

I’ll also be watching to see how the fragmented opinion polls translate into council seats. While we might be expecting a wipeout for Labour and the Conservatives, it remains to be seen how many councils the other parties will win wholesale, and where there will be situations of no overall control, requiring tricky coalition building. This might involve attempts to form a coalition of like-minded councillors, as seen in Bristol. However, the reality is often that parties attempt to go it alone, by entering minority government and living vote by vote, as seen in places like Sheffield or Wirral.

À lire aussi :
How ordinary neighbourhoods became battlegrounds in the politics of ‘broken Britain’

Challenges to inclusive Scottish identity

Murray Leith, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Migration, Diaspora, Citizenship and Identity, University of the West of Scotland

The SNP has long predicated its sense of national identity on a civic and inclusive
Scottishness. Its message throughout the past 19 years has been that anyone who believes in Scotland can be Scottish. While other parliamentary parties have challenged and attacked myriad SNP platforms and policies in the last two decades, none disagree with this political elite consensus.

However, this agreement has not been as duly accepted by people in Scotland who
are less accepting of incomers and migrants (from the rest of the UK and beyond) claiming Scottish identity. Scotland has shifted from an emigrant nation to an immigrant nation in recent years. Without immigration, Scotland’s population would have shrunk. While migration policy remains reserved to Westminster, it looms large in the minds of voters – so much so, that the SNP has made devolving immigration power to Scotland one of its 14 key manifesto pledges.

Reform UK is openly challenging this inclusive and welcoming political consensus. In his first speech, Malcolm Offord, Reform’s Scottish leader spoke of strangers and uncontrolled immigration destabilising communities. Given recent polling and the possibility that Reform may be the official opposition in the next Scottish parliament, the SNP may soon be facing an opposition that proposes a less inclusive vision of Scottishness.

A potentially huge turnover on councils

Hannah Bunting, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative British Politics and Co-director of The Elections Centre, University of Exeter

In the English local elections, I’m keeping an eye out for how many incumbents lose their seats. We know that voters are disillusioned with the two main parties and looking for alternatives. Last year in the 2025 locals, and in many council byelections since, less than 40% of Labour and Conservative incumbents were re-elected. According to our data at The Elections Centre, this figure hasn’t dropped below 70% since 1973.

There are also many more vacancies this year compared to 2025, with Labour defending half of the nearly 5,000 up for grabs, and the Conservatives defending another quarter of them. If this rate of losses continues, we are going to see thousands of new councillors elected, with huge implications for local governments.

Two Labour strongholds, Sunderland and Barnsley, are currently polling in favour of Reform, as is Walsall, which has been held by the Conservatives since 2004. The Greens are making headway in the inner boroughs of London, and councils with “no overall control” may be more common than ever in the capital after these contests. Labour has the furthest to fall, and all eyes will be on how many gains Reform and the Greens make, alongside how many areas turn to the Liberal Democrats as an alternative.

À lire aussi :
What the Caerphilly byelection could reveal about Reform, Labour and Wales’ political future

A proportional system in the Senedd

Anwen Elias, Reader in Politics, Aberystwyth University

Changes to the way Welsh voters elect the Senedd – a proportional system where one vote is cast for a political party’s list of candidates across 16 new constituencies – will require parties to campaign very differently compared to previous elections. The extent to which they can adapt will affect how they perform.

Under the previous electoral system, most Senedd members (40 out of 60) were elected under first-past-the-post, with the rest elected through proportional regional lists. There was an incentive to focus attention and resources on key seats where a political party had the best chances of winning. Under the new system parties will need to gain support from across Wales if they want to ensure a strong presence in the Senedd.

This requires a different kind of campaign strategy and organisation, which is likely to be especially challenging for parties with fewer resources. Within constituencies – some of which are huge – political parties will have to mobilise activists in areas where historically they might not have had a much presence or electoral support. Parties with the available resources for a coordinated national campaign and a strong media, and social media, presence will have a clear advantage under this new system.

An unexpected Netflix star appears in the new Malcolm in the Middle spin-off

Malcolm in the Middle fans have been distracted by the unexpected cameo of one huge Netflix star in the revival series.

The beloved sitcom has finally returned after the original series wrapped up 20 years ago back in 2006. Subtitled Life’s Still Unfair, the four-part limited special reunites fans with what is considered as television’s most chaotic family.

*Warning – this article contains major spoilers for Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Not Unfair, specifically, episode 4*

According to its synopsis, Malcolm has been keeping himself and his daughter at arm’s length from his family for over a decade. Yet he finds himself pulled back into their chaotic world when his parents, Hal and Lois, insist that everyone must attend their forthcoming 40th wedding anniversary celebration.

Frankie Muniz returns once again to play Malcolm, the role that made him a child star, while he is also joined by Justin Berfield and Christopher Masterson who are also returning as two of his brothers, Reece and Francis respectively.

Bryan Cranston, who went on to star in hit drama Breaking Bad once the show ended also makes a welcome return as Hal, with Jane Kaczmarek returning by his side as strict matriarch Lois.

All four episodes of the special are streaming now on Disney+ as of today (April 10) and fans have already starting to binge watch it as quickly as they can. While they are loving seeing familiar faces back on their screens, they also admit to feeling emotional at seeing the show make its return.

The short series is also absolutely packed with guest appearances. That includes several characters that appeared in the original series such as Malcolm’s best friend Stevie Kenarban and Lois’ former Lucky Aide coworker Craig Feldspar.

However there is one guest star making a small cameo of a brand new character in the revival series that no fan expected. Viewers have now discovered that Finn Wolfhard, star of Netflix hit Stranger Things, makes a brief appearance.

Get Disney+ for £5.99

Advertisement

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£5.99

Disney+

Get Disney+ here

A Disney+ subscription now starts at £5.99 and includes new series like Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, plus countless titles from Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and more.

The 23-year-old Canadian actor and musician is most famously known for having played the role of Mike Wheeler in the 80s inspired series across its entire run. It was not known before its release, but is now confirmed he plays out a stressed out party planner trying to help Lois organise her 40th wedding anniversary.

Fans were quick to spot the Netflix star as one posted on social media saying: “Finn is in the new Malcolm in the Middle? Jump scare in the best way! WTF! Why is he in the reunion special of my comfort show?”

Another added: “My sister had the Malcolm in the Middle revival on the TV this morning and I had to do a double take like “IS THAT FINN WOLFHARD???” Whoever his agent is…give them a raise immediately”

Apparently, his appearance came about through a little bit of luck. Speaking to Deadline, series creator Linwood Boomer explained exactly how it happened.

He said: “His agent called us and said, ‘Can Finn visit the set? He loves the show, he’s such a big fan of the show’, and we’re like, ‘S*** yeah! Well, there’s a part we haven’t cast yet. Does he wanna do that? I mean, it’s a small part.’ And he said, ‘F*** yeah, he wants to do it.’ And we were like, ‘F*** yeah, we want you to come, that’d be awesome.’”

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair is streaming on Disney Plus

BEIJING (AP) — Taiwan’s opposition leader met Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, the first such encounter in over a decade, with both sides affirming the need for maintaining peace around the self-ruled island that China claims as its territory.

Both Xi and Cheng Li-wun, the head of the Beijing-friendly Kuomingtang Party, reiterated they wanted to move toward a peaceful reunification of Taiwan and the mainland, though it remains unclear how they would achieve it. China hasn’t ruled out the use of force and has stepped up its military exercises around Taiwan, sending warships and fighter jets closer toward the island and steadily poaching Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies.

Xi welcomed Cheng and her party’s representatives in the Great Hall of the People, where he usually meets world leaders, to a round of applause from both sides. “The larger trend of compatriots on both sides of the strait walking nearer, closer, and together will not change. This is a historical necessity. We have full confidence in this,” he said.

“Although people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait live under different systems, we will respect each other and move towards each other,” Cheng said, adding: “We will seek systemic solutions to prevent and avoid war.”

She arrived in Beijing on Tuesday after visiting Shanghai and Nanjing.

Cheng has previously described herself as a promoter of peace between Taiwan and China. She has opposed large increases in Taiwan’s defense spending and her party continues to block President Lai Ching-te’s special defense budget for arms purchases, including building an air defense system with interception capabilities called the Taiwan Dome.

Taiwan has been governed separately from China since 1949, when a civil war brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing. Defeated Kuomingtang forces fled to Taiwan, where they set up their own government.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te did not directly address Cheng’s China visit, but issued a statement Friday morning urging for the KMT to approve his special defense budget. He said that “history tells us that compromising with authoritarian regimes only comes at the cost of sovereignty and democracy, and will not bring freedom or peace.”

Cheng had said she would push for a “framework for peace” between China and Taiwan, but did not offer any specifics when asked by reporters in Beijing after her meeting with Xi. She said she raised the issue of increasing Taiwan’s international profile, such as participation in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement, and that Xi responded “positively.”

Cheng said both parties will work to make sure “the Taiwan Strait will no longer be a flash point with the possibility of conflict, and will not become a chess piece played by the outside world.”

“Her speech is not like that of a Taiwanese politician,” said Weihao Huang, a professor of political science at National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, saying she didn’t mention the public. “You can’t see the public’s mindset from her words. It’s either her words are being restricted by China or that she was willing for China to restrict it.”

Both Xi and Cheng said they would uphold the 1992 Consensus and opposed Taiwan’s independence.

The 1992 Consensus is a tacit agreement, never formally enshrined as a document, that Taiwan and China all belong to one China. However, while the KMT said the 1992 Consensus means they belong to “One China” with separate interpretations of what China means, the Communist Party has never acknowledged that.

“This visit is more significant to Xi than to Cheng,” said Ma Chun-wei, an expert in China-Taiwan relations at Taiwan’s Tamkang University. ”At the local level, the KMT’s grassroots members didn’t really want Cheng to visit China at this time” ahead of local elections later this year.

But for Xi, this visit is a chance to have a grip on China-Taiwan relations with Cheng, Ma said, as there’s been no official contact between the governments since the Democratic Progressive Party came into power. Further, Xi can tell the U.S. to not interfere as “he has a channel and the ability to deal with the Taiwan issue.”

___

Wu reported from Bangkok.

Family courts step in at some of the hardest moments in a child’s life, when parents separate or when there are concerns about their safety.

We already know that children involved in care proceedings are more likely to self-harm. But most children who come into contact with family courts are there because of disputes between parents, not safeguarding concerns. Until now we have known comparatively little about these children or what happens to them after court proceedings end.

For the first time, our research tracked self-harm over time in these children. We found that children who go through the family courts, whether because of parental separation or welfare concerns, are more likely to self-harm than those who do not.

This doesn’t mean the courts themselves are causing harm. This increased risk is more likely linked to the circumstances that lead families to court in the first place. Family courts are an often-missed opportunity to offer help.

We analysed anonymised family court records alongside routinely collected health data for more than 700,000 children between 2011 and 2018. Around 17,000 had been involved in private cases – usually disputes over finances or living arrangements after separation. Another 5,500 were involved in public cases, where local authorities step in over concerns about a child’s welfare.

The risk of self-harm was about twice as high after private cases and more than three times as high after public ones.

Previous research shows that families in contact with courts often face challenges beyond the courtroom. They are more likely to live in deprived areas and to experience mental or physical health problems, in both caregivers and children. These factors are already known to increase the risk of self-harm in young people.

Historically, people designing services for families have not always had enough data to guide the decisions made in family courts. Evidence now shows elevated risks not just of self-harm but for a range of adverse outcomes, including depression, anxiety and poorer educational attainment. Yet family courts receive far less public attention than many other issues affecting young people.

A warning sign we shouldn’t ignore

Self-harm is relatively common in adolescents. Most young people who self-harm do not go on to die by suicide. However, it is one of the clearest signals of distress and one of the strongest risk factors for suicide. This makes early identification and support especially important.

Children who come into contact with family courts should be a priority for support.

Parental separations are common. Many children experience them and their effects can be underestimated and downplayed because of that. Around one in ten separating families turn to family courts to resolve disputes, often as a last resort because of the financial and emotional costs. It may also reflect high levels of conflict between parents.

The decisions made during these proceedings can be life changing for children. Where families reach the point of involving family courts, we should ensure that support is available for the whole family, especially for children.

Family courts are in a unique position. They come into contact with children and families, with complex and intersecting needs, at important moments that have the potential to shape the rest of their lives.

We believe that contact with the courts should be seen as an opportunity to identify the needs of these families and offer practical, timely support to children and their families. This might include wider networks such as schools, community services and primary care or to provide clearer pathways to specialist mental health support where needed.

Decisions made in family courts have the potential to shape children’s lives at critical moments. These moments should be seen as signals of need, not just legal milestones. If we act on them, we have a real chance to support children at the point they need it most.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian military personnel have shot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones in multiple Middle Eastern countries during the Iran war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing the operations as part of a broader effort to help partners counter the same weapons used by Russia in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy made his first public acknowledgment of the operations Wednesday in remarks to reporters that were embargoed until Friday. He said Ukrainian forces took part in active operations abroad using domestically produced interceptor drones proven in countering Iranian-designed Shahed drones used by Russia in Ukraine.

“This was not about a training mission or exercises, but about support in building a modern air defense system that can actually work,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine took part in the defensive operations before the tentative ceasefire in the Middle East was reached among Iran, the United States and Israel this week.

Zelenskyy did not identify the countries involved but said Ukrainian personnel operated across several nations, helping strengthen their air defense systems. He previously said that 228 Ukrainian experts were deployed in the region.

In exchange, Ukraine is receiving weapons to protect its energy infrastructure, along with oil, diesel and, in some cases, financial arrangements, he said.

The Ukrainian leader said the agreements would bolster Ukraine’s energy stability and described the partnerships as something that would “be marketed” as Kyiv seeks to formalize and expand its defense export role.

“We are helping strengthen their security in exchange for contributions to our country’s resilience,” he said. “This is far more than simply receiving money.”

Ukraine will face more pressure

The disclosure comes amid concerns that conflict in the Middle East could divert Western military support from Ukraine, particularly air defense supplies.

But Zelenskyy said that partners were continuing to supply missiles for Patriot systems, adding that a new batch had arrived in recent days and that Ukraine was working with all partners to ensure its air defense remained in place.

He warned that the coming spring and summer would be difficult for Ukraine, with growing political and battlefield pressure as the United States turns to domestic politics and elections.

Zelenskyy said he had urged U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Kyiv and proposed a trilateral format with Moscow. It remains unclear whether they will come or if talks will instead take place in a third country.

U.S.-led talks have made no progress on key issues, as Washington’s attention shifts to the Middle East conflict while Russian and Ukrainian forces remain locked in fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometer (800-mile) front line.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to mirror any ceasefire steps after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary Easter truce.

“We proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holidays this year and will act accordingly”, Zelenskyy said Friday on X. “People need an Easter free from threats and real movement toward peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to strikes after Easter as well”.

Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4 p.m. Saturday until the end of Sunday.

Previous ceasefire attempts have had little impact, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Putin’s move as a “humanitarian” gesture, but said Moscow remains focused on a comprehensive settlement based on its longstanding demands — a key sticking point that has prevented the two sides from reaching an agreement.

Peskov also confirmed that Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, is in the United States for meetings focused on economic issues. He noted that Dmitriev is conducting the meetings within the framework of a group on economic issues that he has led, adding that he is not involved in the talks on the war in Ukraine and his trip “doesn’t mean the resumption of the talks.”

Dmitriev’s visit to the U.S. comes just before the termination of the 30-day sanctions waiver for Russian oil.