Friday, March 14

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Volunteers from the organization Eastern SOS evacuate Anatoli, a 50-year-old man with an amputation in his left leg, from his home in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast on March 13, 2025. (Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Putin ready for ceasefire but demands 'guarantees' depriving Ukraine of aid. Russia is ready to agree to the U.S.-proposed ceasefire in Ukraine but demands guarantees that Kyiv will not mobilize or train troops, nor receive military aid during it, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 13.

US opposed to frozen conflict in Ukraine, Zelensky's chief of staff says. "We have been very clear that we will never agree to a frozen conflict. We are very much against it, and our positions align with our American partners," Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak said.

Russia claims to retake Sudzha; Ukraine hasn't confirmed. Russian forces have retaken Sudzha, a key stronghold of Ukrainian troops in Kursk Oblast, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on March 13.

US to resume shipping long-range bombs to Ukraine, Reuters reports.

The United States is preparing to resume shipping long-range Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) to Ukraine, Reuters reported on March 13, citing sources familiar with the weapon.

Putin is afraid to tell Trump he wants to continue war in Ukraine, Zelensky says. Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks about a 30-day ceasefire indicate that he is preparing a rejection of the U.S. proposal, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 13.

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Ukraine receives $1.7 billion from Canada under G7 loan covered by Russian assets. Ukraine has received the first tranche of 2.5 billion Canadian dollars (about $1.7 billion) from Ottawa under the G7's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) initiative.

Finland announces $217 million military aid package for Ukraine. Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen confirmed that the package includes artillery ammunition, citing Ukraine's urgent need for such supplies.

Sweden to provide $137 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Sweden will provide Ukraine with more than 1.4 billion Swedish kronor ($137.7 million) in humanitarian aid, the country's International Development Minister Benjamin Dousa announced on March 13.

Ukrainian drones strike covert UAV plant in western Russia, sources claim. Drone production lines were located on the grounds of an aerated concrete plant in the village of Obukhovo in Kaluga Oblast's Dzerzhinsky district, a military intelligence source claimed.

US toughens sanctions on Russian energy payments. The Trump administration has toughened sanction on Russia's oil and gas industry on March 13 by not renewing an exemption that allows Russian banks to access U.S. payment systems to conduct energy transactions.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Russia needs war, Zelensky says in response to Putin's preconditions for ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks about a 30-day ceasefire indicate that he is preparing a rejection of the U.S. proposal, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his evening address on March 13.

Photo: Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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John Bolton on how Putin plays Trump and why separating Russia from China is 'almost impossible'

"They will now start bargaining, and what will they bargain with? With Ukraine, our state, our lands, our people. … We've been through this before. An agreement with the Russians is not worth the paper it is written on."

Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev / Sputnik / AFP / Getty Images

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China is more likely than the EU to replace Starlink on the Ukrainian battlefield

Fears of a Starlink shut-off at the front line have racked Ukraine. European satellite internet firms took the opportunity to step forward as replacements — but even collectively, they are unlikely to fill the void in coverage that Starlink's shut off would leave.

Photo: Andre Alves/Anadolu via Getty Images

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Kyiv sees no surprises as Russia signals its rejection of US-backed ceasefire proposal

Russia is signaling its intention to reject a U.S. ceasefire proposal already accepted by Ukraine in Jeddah this week, setting the stage for a likely diplomatic standoff between Washington and Moscow.

Photo: Mikhail Metzel/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

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Human cost of Russia’s war

Russia suspected of killing 5 Ukrainian POWs in Kursk Oblast. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets referred to a video circulating on social media that purportedly shows unarmed Ukrainian soldiers killed after being captured by Russian troops.

Russian drone strike on Kharkiv injures 7, including 4 children. A Russian drone strike on the Osnovianskyi district of Kharkiv injured at least seven people, the city's Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported on March 13.

Ex-envoy to Russia on Trump's negotiating strategy: 'incredibly bad'

youtube.com/watch?v=HzgTjEOg-n…

International response

UK, France lead talks among 37 countries on 'coalition of the willing' in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports. London and Paris are leading discussions among 37 countries from Europe, Asia, and the Commonwealth on shielding Ukraine against any future Russian aggression in case of a peace settlement, Bloomberg reported on March 13, citing official sources.

Polish president urges US to deploy nuclear weapons in Poland. "The borders of NATO moved east in 1999, so 26 years later there should also be a shift of the NATO infrastructure east. For me, this is obvious," Polish President Andrzej Duda said.

French National Assembly backs resolution on seizing Russian assets. The resolution, which carries symbolic significance, urges the European Union, NATO, and allied nations to boost political, economic, and military aid for Ukraine.

Russian diesel exports to Africa reportedly plummet amid Ukrainian drone strikes. Russian diesel exports to African countries nearly halved in February, dropping from 1.27 million tons in January to 684,000 tons, according to a report by the Center for Price Indices (CPI) reviewed by RBC.

Putin aide claims NATO 'threatens' Russia in Baltic. Russian presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev accused the alliance, particularly the U.K., of provoking instability in the region.

Hungary seeks removal of Russian oligarch Fridman from EU sanctions list, FT reports. Hungary’s ambassador to the EU demanded that Mikhail Fridman be removed from the sanctions list, threatening to block the extension of EU sanctions imposed on about 2,000 Russians otherwise, the Financial Times reported, citing officials familiar with the matter.

Opinions and insights

Putin has likely rejected Trump's ceasefire proposal — what now?

Trump’s push for a ceasefire in Ukraine could be a game of chicken with Putin, but the real question is whether he has the resolve to stand tough on Ukrainian sovereignty.

Photo: Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

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In other news

Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant part of peace talks, Trump says. "We have been discussing with Ukraine land and pieces of land that would be kept and lost and all of the other elements of a final agreement," U.S. President Donald Trump said.

Rheinmetall prepared to supply arms for possible Ukraine peacekeeping mission. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said the company could provide "more than 2,000 items" for such a mission, including tanks, armored vehicles, electronic warfare systems, reconnaissance drones, and satellite technology for monitoring a potential ceasefire line.

ECHR rules Ukraine failed to prevent, investigate violence in Odesa in 2014. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on March 13 that the Ukrainian government failed to prevent and properly investigate deadly clashes between the EuroMaidan supporters and opponents in Odesa in May 2014.

Kyiv Mayor Klitschko announces more dismissals of city officials amid corruption probe. The following officials are set to be dismissed: Ihor Dolinsky, director of the Kyiv Institute of Land Relations; Volodymyr Sharyi, director of the special housing fund; Viktor Pohrebnoi, director of the Financial Company Zhytloinvest; and Valentina Sviatina, deputy director of the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture, Klitschko said.

McDonald's relaunches breakfast menu in Ukraine amid full-scale war. The announcement from McDonald's Ukraine comes as more Western companies expand offerings to Ukrainian customers amid the full-scale war, with some companies choosing to reopen storefronts across the country.

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