Key developments on March 22 - 23: * Kyiv hit by massive Russian drone strike, 3 dead including a 5-year-old girl and her father * Russian attacks on Kyiv 'undermine peace efforts,' Sybiha says * China considering joining Ukraine peacekeeping mission, Die Welt reports * Czechia willing to contribute troops for peacekeeping mission
"We were under pressure to come out very critically with, you know, flowery adjectives to describe how others felt,” Starmer told the New York Times.
President Volodymyr Zelensky visited front-line troops and held a military command meeting in Kharkiv Oblast on March 22, as Ukraine prepares for a meeting with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia on March 23.
U.S. negotiators will meet separately with Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Riyadh on March 24, but although contours of a potential partial ceasefire proposal are beginning to form, Kyiv remains skeptical of Moscow's intentions. The upcoming discussions are meant to flesh out technical details on what this ceasefire, either
Ukraine has not held elections during Russia's full-scale war because they are prohibited under martial law, which was declared on Feb. 24, 2022.
Key developments on March 21: * Zelensky, Pavel meet in Kyiv to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine * Ukraine has brought back over 4,000 prisoners of war from Russian captivity since start of full-scale invasion, Zelensky says * Russia's Kavkazskaya oil facility still burning after two days, more explosions reported * Ukraine accuses
On a Sunday afternoon in mid-February, a small but politically charged event took place in the heart of Amsterdam. A group of eight people gathered for a photo-op protest on the city’s Dam Square holding placards that called for an end to Western arms deliveries to Ukraine and the
"Now, when we talk to the American side and our other partners about how to end the war, we talk about the release of prisoners as one of the first steps," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the war with Russia and European efforts to provide security guarantees for Ukraine during the meeting with his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel in Kyiv on March 21.
During his visit to Odesa on March 20, Russia launched three groups of Shahed-type drones at the city.
French President Emmanuel Macron will host European leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, in Paris on March 27 to discuss the peace process in Ukraine.
"I look forward to constructive discussions on how Norway can best provide assistance to Ukraine in both the short term and the long term," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement.
"There are regions, there are cities and towns that are cut off by one or another contact line, and if in some places you leave this line, you will simply leave these cities or towns without life; no one will return to half of the city," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, comparing such cities to divided Berlin during the Cold War.
"Water supply, technical staff, and many more steps to ensure that in a year and a half to two and a half, the plant starts to bring money and electricity to people. This is my vision," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Finland will seek out more international partners to partake in the coalition and assist Ukraine in building shelters in the face of regular Russian aerial attacks. Ministers from Finland and Ukraine signed the agreement on March 19.
Ukrainian and U.S. officials are expected to meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days for continued peace talks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post to social media on March 19.
The White House on March 19 proposed Ukraine pass its nuclear facilities to the U.S. as part of the ongoing ceasefire talks. "The United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise. American ownership of those plants would be the best protection
Key developments on March 19: * Zelensky agrees to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure during call with Trump * US ownership of Ukraine's power plants would be 'best protection' of energy infrastructure, White House says * Ukraine brings home 175 prisoners of war in swap with Russia * Ukrainian drone strike halts operations
President Volodymyr Zelensky asked U.S. President Donald Trump for additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians, in particular, Patriot missile systems. The U.S. president agreed to find what was available, particularly in Europe, according to a readout of a call between the two leaders on March 19.
President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call on March 19, during which Trump suggested American ownership of Ukraine's power plants could help ensure their security.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he agreed to stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on March 19.
"Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelensky of Ukraine. It lasted approximately one hour. Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs," U.S. President Donald Trump said following the conversation.
On March 18, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had stopped a significant Ukrainian ground assault from entering Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, a claim that Ukraine swiftly denied as a propaganda effort.
U.S. President Donald Trump's son, Donald Jr., news host Tucker Carlson, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff were involved in backchannel talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky's political rivals, Politico reported on March 18, citing undisclosed sources.
The debate over Ukraine’s elections and future leadership is intensifying. With peace talks gaining momentum, calls for elections are growing louder, and both the Russian and American sides are questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy. However, criticism from the Kremlin and the Oval Office has inadvertently solidified his
"And if the Russians don't hit our facilities, we won't hit their facilities," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian drones targeted energy facilities, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure. Outages were reported in the Donetsk Oblast city of Sloviansk.
"Today, I will contact President Trump. We will discuss the details of the next steps," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Former President Petro Poroshenko called sanctions imposed against him by the Ukrainian government an "attack on freedom and democracy" in an interview with the German tabloid Bild published on March 18.
A hospital in Ukraine's northeastern city of Sumy and another in the town of Krasnopillia were hit by drones during a series of attacks on Ukraine, prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to accuse Vladimir Putin of de facto rejecting a ceasefire.
"We are an independent state. Without us, I think it's wrong to negotiate," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 18.
"We will support such a proposal, but we're very interested in the details," Zelensky said, in reference to a proposed 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure attacks.
Volodymyr Zelensky has been president of Ukraine since 2019. Born in Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city in central Ukraine, Zelensky was known as a media personality and actor before becoming Ukraine’s sixth president.
The 46-year-old’s transformation into a wartime leader saw his approval ratings rise from 37% before the full-scale invasion, to 90% in May 2022. His approval rating fell to 62% by the end of 2023.
Zelensky's five-year term officially ended in May 2024 but he remains president while martial law, enacted after the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, is in place. A February 2024 poll indicated that almost 70% of Ukrainians agree that Zelensky should remain in office and elections should be postponed until martial law is lifted.
(Updated: )
