Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office, March 7, 2025 (CNN)

Friday’s Coverage: Europe Agrees Plans to Raise Defense Spending

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1458 GMT:

A Ukrainian military officer says of the US cutoff of intelligence:

As a result of this pause, there are hundreds of dead Ukrainians.

The biggest problem is morale. It’s really causing an advantage for the enemy on the front line.

A Government official added, “It’s very dangerous for our people. It has to be immediately changed.”

UPDATE 1443 GMT:

The Trump Administration has notified former allies that it does not plan to participate in military exercises held in Europe beyond those scheduled in 2025, reports Swedish media outlet Expressen.

Sources told Expressen that several exercises currently on the “drawing board” will be held in Sweden.

UPDATE 1427 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted about “a highly productive meeting” in Kyiv between Ukrainian and British diplomats.

We discussed our joint steps that could bring us closer to peace and accelerate diplomatic efforts. I’m grateful for the support. Ukraine is determined to do everything to end this war with a just and lasting peace as soon as possible.

Referring to next week’s meeting in Saudi Arabia between Ukraine and US delegations — and his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — Zelensky said, “Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively.”

UPDATE 1158 GMT:

European Union foreign policy head Kaja Kallas has posted about Moscow’s attacks:

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk adds:

UPDATE 1155 GMT:

The toll from Russia’s strike on Bogodukhiv in the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine has risen to three killed and seven injured.

UPDATE 1121 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted about the deadly Russia strikes on the Donetsk region last night:

Such strikes show that Russia’s objectives have not changed. Therefore, it is crucial to continue to do our best to protect lives, strengthen our air defenses, and increase sanctions against Russia. Everything that helps Putin finance the war must collapse.

UPDATE 0758 GMT:

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s approval rating in Ukraine has risen by 10% since Donald Trump and J.D. Vance tried to humiliate him in the White House.

In the poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, conducted from February 14 to March, Zelensky was trusted by 67% of respondents, up from 57% a month earlier.

UPDATE 0723 GMT:

Implementing Donald Trump’s support of Russia, the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has “temporarily suspended access” to satellite imagery services to Ukraine.

US partners and allies obtain the imagery through the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery system. American officials confirmed that the suspension affects multiple companies who deliver the imagery.

The US aerospace company Maxar Technologies said it disabled Ukraine’s access after a request from the Trump Administration. Noting that it has contracts with the US Government and dozens of allied and partner nations, Maxar said, “Each customer makes their own decisions on how they use and share that data.”

Ukrainian artillery and drone units study the images to assess quality Russian targets and review the damage to refine attacks. A constant refresh of the satellite imagery helps commanders and soldiers track enemy positions and depots. They help logistics soldiers plan vehicle routes, with alternative corridors laid out if pathways are mined or destroyed.

UPDATE 0649 GMT:

Most Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region in western Russia, having held the area since last August, have reportedly been encircled.

Reuters cited open source maps showing a sharp deterioration in Ukraine’s position in the past four days after a Russian counter-offensive that has nearly bisected Kyiv’s forces and separated the main group from principal supply lines.

Deep State, the Ukrainian war monitor, said about three-quarters of the Ukrainian deployment inside Russia is almost completely encircled. The troops are joined to other forces by a land corridor around 1 km long and less than 500 m wide at its narrowest point.

Deep State said Russian forces are pressuring Kyiv’s positions in the border area with the Sumy region in northern Ukraine.

A Ukrainian soldier in Kursk described the situation as “critical”, saying troops would like to withdraw. He said all bridges near the town Sudzha have been destroyed, and forces are cut off from ammunition and fuel.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Donald Trump has further signalled his support of Vladimir Putin and Russia’s mass killing during its 36 1/2-month full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In recent days, Trump has cut off military aid — including assistance, in transit, provided by the Biden Administration — to Kyiv. He has halted intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, hindering the targeting of Russian positions and disrupting the early-warning system against Moscow’s drone and missiles strikes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly ordered US Cyber Command to suspend measures against Russian cyber-operations. Officials have been ordered to consider which sanctions against Russia can be eased.

Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office on Friday if Putin is taking advantage of the cutoff of US intelligence-sharing and military aid to step up the bombing of Ukraine, Trump responded, “I actually think he is doing what anybody else would do.”

When a journalist suggested Trump — having referred to Russia’s “pounding” of Ukraine earlier in the day — could provide air defenses to deter this, Trump blamed Kyiv for Moscow’s mass killing:

I have to know that they want to settle. I don’t know that they want to settle. If they don’t want to settle, we’re out of there.

Then he said, without a hint of irony, “I’m doing [this] to stop death.”

In contrast, he praised Moscow even as it steps up the strikes on civilian areas:

I find that in terms of getting a final settlement, it may be easier dealing with Russia, which is surprising, because they have all the cards, and they’re bombing the hell out of them right now.

Asked if he believes Putin wants peace, Trump replied:

I believe him. I think we’re doing very well with Russia, and right now they’re bombing the hell out of Ukraine. I’m finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine. They don’t have the cards.

He continued by indicating his personal investment in Putin, “Despite the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax [the Trump campaign’s co-operation with Moscow in 2016], I’ve always had a good relationship with Putin. He wants to end the war. And I think he’s going to be more generous than he has to be.”

The ramble to reporters contradicted a social media post by Trump earlier in the day:

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 Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late.

Russia’s Latest Mass Killing

Soon after Trump’s endorsement, Russia’s forces killed 11 civilians and injured 30 in Dobropillia in eastern Ukraine.

Russian forces launched three strikes at night on the town north of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Eight multi-story buildings and 30 cars were damaged.

Dobropillia, with a pre-invasion population of around 28,000, is about 22 km (14 miles) from the frontline, north of the embattled logistic hub of Pokrovsk.

Donetsk prosecutors said earlier that five other residents were killed in Russian attacks, including one in Pokrovsk, two in villages near the city of Kostyantynivka, and one near the town of Kurakhove.

In the neighboring Kharkiv region, one person was killed and seven wounded by a Russian drone attack on the city of Bogodukhiv early Saturday.

In Odesa in southern Ukraine, a drone strike damaged energy infrastructure and other targets.