Key developments on March 7:
- Ukrainian troops' logistics in Kursk Oblast destroyed, they face risk of encirclement, sources say
- Trump says he considers sanctioning Russia because it's 'pounding' Ukraine
- Trump accuses Ukraine of being 'more difficult to deal with' than Russia
- French-made Mirage 2000 jets join Ukraine's defense against Russian strike for the first time
- EU members pledge $16 billion in additional support for Ukraine, Costa says
Russian forces have destroyed Ukrainian troops' logistics in Russia's Kursk Oblast, and Ukrainian soldiers face the risk of encirclement, a Ukrainian soldier and a medic deployed in the region told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity on March 7.
The confirmation came after several media reported that Russian forces had made a breakthrough south of the Ukrainian-held town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast. The Ukrainian battlefield monitoring group DeepState has confirmed a push deep into Ukrainian positions toward the Ukrainian state border in Sumy Oblast.
A Ukrainian soldier fighting in Kursk Oblast described the situation in the Russian region as "critical," warning that Ukrainian troops in the region face the threat of encirclement. He added that Ukrainian soldiers based in the region would like to withdraw.
According to the source, all bridges in the vicinity of Sudzha have been destroyed, and Ukrainian troops are cut off from ammunition and fuel supplies.
The Ukrainian medic stationed in Kursk Oblast told the Kyiv Independent that Russia's breakthrough happened about three days ago, and Russian troops control all the roads.
According to DeepState, "the most critical situation" is on the border of Russia's Kursk Oblast and Ukraine's Sumy Oblast. Russian troops are trying to push on Ukrainian positions near the villages of Zhuravka and Novenke in Sumy Oblast, DeepState reported.
Russia has also intensified its attacks near the village of Kurilovka near the border with Sumy Oblast, some 5 kilometers (3 miles) south of Sudzha, DeepState said in its latest update on March 7.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims. Earlier in the day, the spokesperson of the Ukrainian group of forces in Kursk Oblast declined to comment on the situation in the Russian region.
Russian forces have recently intensified efforts to break through to Sumy Oblast and cut off logistical routes of the Ukrainian salient in bordering Kursk Oblast. Kyiv has sought to maintain its position in the Russian border region as leverage for possible peace talks.
Moscow's troops have almost reached the Ukrainian border south of Ukrainian positions in Sudzha, meaning that at least some areas have been cut off from the main salient, the independent Russian outlet Agentstvo reported on March 7, citing an expert from the Conflict Intelligence Team.
"Difficult battles continue in the border area of Sumy Oblast; Russian assault units are attempting to break through and move toward a highway from Yunakivka (in Sumy Oblast) to Sudzha in Kursk Oblast," said Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
"(Ukraine's) Defense Forces are fighting and dealing significant casualties to Russian troops," Kovalenko claimed, without confirming a Russian breakthrough.
The prominent Russian pro-war channel Two Majors also reported on the advance, claiming that Moscow's troops have penetrated up to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) deep into Ukrainian positions.
Martin Fornusek
Trump says he considers sanctioning Russia because it's 'pounding' Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 7 that he is considering imposing sweeping banking sanctions and tariffs on Russia until there is a ceasefire and peace agreement.
According to Trump, his statement is based on the fact that Russia "is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield" - a possible reference to Russia's recent advances in Kursk Oblast or Russia's large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine on March 7.
"Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely 'pounding' Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large-scale banking sanctions, sanctions, and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and final settlement agreement on peace is reached," Trump wrote on the Truth Social media platform.
"To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!"
Shortly after his inauguration, Trump threatened to impose tariffs and sanctions on Russia to force their hand in negotiations, saying "we can do it the easy way or the hard way." In the following weeks, Trump instead lashed out at Ukraine, claiming President Volodymyr Zelensky was "not ready for peace" and halting military aid to Ukraine and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Kollen Post
Trump accuses Ukraine of being 'more difficult to deal with' than Russia
U.S. President Donald Trump said at a press briefing on March 7 that he finds it more difficult to deal with Kyiv than with Moscow but admitted that "Russia is bombing the hell out of Ukraine."
When asked during the press briefing why the U.S. wouldn't provide more air defense to Ukraine instead of halting military aid, Trump replied that he has to know "they want to settle."
"If (the Ukrainians) don't want to settle, we're out of there," he said.
"I think he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is doing what anybody else would do. I think he wants to get (the war) ended, but he's hitting them harder than ever, which is what anybody would be doing in his place," Trump added.
The U.S. president also said he wants Russia's full-scale war to end before making any security guarantees to Ukraine. On the contrary, Kyiv insists on security guarantees before reaching a peace deal with Russia.
Oleg Sukhov
French-made Mirage 2000 jets join Ukraine's defense against Russian strike for the first time
Ukraine's French-provided Mirage 2000 fighter jets took part in repelling a Russian air attack on Ukraine for the first time on March 7, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
Russia launched a large-scale aerial assault overnight, firing 67 missiles of various types and deploying 194 drones.
Ukraine's air defenses intercepted 34 missiles and 100 drones, with anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare systems, and mobile fire groups contributing to the effort.
Fighter jets, including F-16s and French Mirage 2000s, were also deployed.
Russia targeted energy and gas infrastructure across the country, Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said.
At least two people were injured as a result of the attacks after a Russian missile damaged two residential buildings in Poltava Oblast, injuring one adult and one child. No information was immediately available as to the status of their injuries.
Russia initially launched a series of missiles around 4 a.m. local time, targeting various regions in the country's far west. A second series of missiles entered Ukrainian airspace around 6 a.m.
Explosions were reported in the western city of Ternopil around 5 a.m. local time, following the first series of attacks, Suspilne reported. Later in the morning, explosions were heard in the front line city of Kharkiv around 6:30 a.m.
Ternopil Oblast Regional Governor Viacheslav Nehoda reported that a critical infrastructure facility in the region had been struck with a Russian missile. Although no injuries were reported, Nehoda added that gas supplies may be interrupted as a result of the attack.
Critical infrastructure facilities were also targeted in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, though no damage or casualties were reported, according to Governor Svitlana Onyshchuk.
Russia struck already the sixth facility of the DTEK energy company in Odesa Oblast in the past two and a half weeks, the company said. Critical infrastructure facilities were also targeted in Chernihiv Oblast, with at least one of them suffering damage, according to Governor Viacheslav Chaus.
EU members pledge $16 billion in additional support for Ukraine, Costa says
Several EU members have pledged to provide up to 15 billion euros ($16.3 billion) in additional aid for Ukraine, European Council President Antonio Costa said at a summit on March 6.
EU leaders met in Brussels to discuss plans for boosting Europe's defense capabilities and support for Ukraine amid the seismic foreign policy shifts in the U.S. Ukraine's President Volodmyr Zelensky also took part in the meeting.
The summit concluded without additional EU aid packages for Ukraine as the discussed 20-billion-euro tranche ($22 billion) was dropped from the final declaration. Kyiv needs more support now than ever, as the Trump administration has frozen all military assistance flowing to the country.
As any EU-wide assistance package is under threat of being blocked by Hungary's Moscow-friendly leader, Viktor Orban, top EU officials suggested that further aid should be provided through a "coalition of the willing."
"Immediately, member states can increase their support thanks to the increased fiscal space," Costa said at a press conference in Brussels. During the summit, EU leaders unanimously agreed on a new defense initiative that could mobilize up to 800 billion euros ($867 billion) through loans and loosening fiscal rules for government spending.
"Several member states have already announced their pledges up to 15 billion euros. Today, we have also tasked the Council to work urgently on further initiatives to address Ukraine’s pressing military and defense needs," Costa said, without naming the countries.
"This is a tipping point for Europe. And today, we have shown that the European Union is rising to the challenge," the European Council president said.
Note from the author:
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Alex Cadier
