Sunday, March 16
Russia’s war against Ukraine
The mother and sister of a deceased man mourn amid rubble at the central district of Kherson on March 15, 2025. The Russian army carried out an airstrike on Kherson on the evening of March 14. One of the guided bombs hit a residential area killing a 43-year-old man. (Ivan Antypenko/Suspilne Ukraine via Getty Images)
UK’s Starmer says ‘troops on the ground and planes in the sky’ could secure Ukraine peace deal. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced today that an expanded coalition of nations is ramping up efforts to back Ukraine in peace negotiations with Russia, following a high-level virtual summit in London on March 15.
Zelensky appoints Yermak to lead Ukraine’s peace delegation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced a new peace delegation including his foreign minister and defense minister in addition to the head of his office.
Russia readying to attack Sumy as Donbas front stabilizes, Zelensky says. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on Telegram that Ukraine has observed areas along its eastern border where the Russian army is amassing force. “This speaks to a desire to deliver a strike to our Sumy Oblast,” Zelensky wrote.
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‘Putin is lying to everyone’ — Zelensky calls for ‘strong pressure’ on Russia after UK summit. “The world must understand that Russia is the only obstacle preventing peace,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said following a virtual summit of 25 nations supporting peace efforts in Ukraine.
Western leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine following virtual summit hosted by Starmer. Western leaders reiterated their support for Ukraine following a virtual summit hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on March 15, where leaders from 25 countries were in attendance.
Russia attacks Ukraine with 178 drones overnight, targets energy infrastructure. Ukrainian defense forces intercepted 130 out of the 178 Russian attack drones launched at Ukraine during an overnight assault on March 14 that included attacks on energy infrastructure.
Read our exclusives
‘Painful for Russia:’ What new U.S. sanctions on Russian energy mean for Moscow
The Trump administration dealt a blow to Russia’s energy sector last week after it let lapse an exemption allowing Russian banks to use U.S. payment systems for energy transactions.
Photo: Antonio Sempere/Europa Press via Getty Images
‘Everyone is really shocked and upset’ — Trump administration puts Voice of America journalists on leave, cuts funding to Radio Free Europe
The Trump administration on March 15 followed up a on an executive order signed a day earlier by President Donald Trump vowing to gut funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Photo: Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attacks in Nikopol kill 1, injure 3, including children. Two girls, aged 11 and 3 years old, were injured in the attacks, regional Governor Serhii Lysak said. The children are being treated at a medical facility in Dnipro and are in moderate condition.
Inside Ukraine’s desperate fight to stabilize Donbas front
International response
EU ‘without Ukraine’ — Hungary’s Orban posts list of demands to Brussels. Orban named 12 demands, the last of which reads: “A Union, but without Ukraine.” His other demands include banning “the unnatural re-education of our children” and protecting “Europe’s Christian heritage.”
Trump appoints Kellogg as Special Envoy to Ukraine, removes him from dealings with Russia. Initially appointed as Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, General Keith Kellogg was to be involved in direct peace talk efforts between the two countries. However, recent media reports indicate that he was excluded from high-level peace at the Kremlin’s request as Moscow perceived Kellogg as being too sympathetic to Ukraine.
Duda denounces Russia for ‘imperial greed,’ reiterates calls to deploy US nuclear weapons in Poland. “Ukraine must be sovereign and independent, because otherwise there will be no peace, it will only be the end of the war due to the occupation of Ukraine by Russia,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said in a wide-ranging interview with the BBC published on March 15.
Rubio discusses ‘next steps’ in phone call with Russia’s Lavrov. U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio held a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on March 15 as Washington attempts to persuade Moscow to accept a 30-day ceasefire deal.
Italy does not plan to send peacekeepers to Ukraine, remains committed to ‘effective security guarantees.’ Italy does not plan to participate in a peacekeeping force on the ground in eastern Ukraine to guarantee a potential ceasefire, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said on March 15.
In other news
Senator Mark Kelly gets rid of his Tesla after Musk calls him ‘traitor’ for visiting Ukraine. Senator Mark Kelly said he was getting rid of his Tesla Model S after billionaire Elon Musk called the senator a “traitor” on his social media platform X for visiting Ukraine just days after the U.S. paused military aid to Ukraine.
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