Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a virtual summit of national leaders, March 15, 2025

Saturday’s Coverage: Zelensky — “Good Chance to End This War Quickly”

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1618 GMT:

Air defenses downed 47 of 90 drones launched by Russia on nine regions overnight. Another 33 were lost to electronic counter-measures.

UPDATE 1002 GMT:

Following the Kremlin’s complaints, Donald Trump has restricted the role of his envoy over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.

Kellogg’s position has been narrowed from special envoy to Ukraine and Russia to just special envoy to Ukraine.

Trump announced the change on social media on Saturday, but without referring to the deletion of the Russia portfolio: “General Kellogg, a Highly Respected Military Expert, will deal directly with President [Volodymyr Zelensky] and Ukrainian leadership. He knows them well, and they have a very good working relationship together.”

Kellogg had already been sidelined within the Trump Administration. He was omitted from the US delegation for direct talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia. Instead, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy for the Middle East, was included.

Witkoff has become the point man for contact with the Kremlin, meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow last Thursday night.

UPDATE 0750 GMT:

Donald Trump has effectively shut down the US Government’s global and European information services.

Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty suspended operations after Trump signed an executive order cutting staff at the US Agency for Global Media. VOA and RFE/RL employees have been notified that they are on paid administrative leave until further notice.

Voice of America Director Michael Abramowitz said around 1,300 employees have received letters: “For the first time in 83 years, the legendary Voice of America has gone silent.”

Today’s actions will prevent Voice of America from fulfilling its vital mission. That mission is especially important today, when America’s adversaries like Iran, China, and Russia are spending billions of dollars to create false narratives to discredit the United States.

International journalists, including Reporters Without Borders, noted that Trump’s decision “threatens press freedom around the world and undoes America’s 80-year effort to support the free flow of information”.

UPDATE 0747 GMT:

One civilian has been killed and three, includig two teenagers, wounded by a Russian drone strike on Izyum in the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine.

UPDATE 0738 GMT:

Amid Vladimir Putin’s rejection of the Ukraine-US ceasefire proposal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone on Saturday.

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement, “Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov discussed next steps to follow up on recent meetings in Saudi Arabia and agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia.”

UPDATE 0734 GMT:

Canada has contributed another C$50 million ($34.8 million) to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said:

As Russia continues its ruthless attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, leaving millions without electricity, water, and heat, Canada is proud… to continue the important work it is doing to help Ukraine repair its critical infrastructure.

Canada’s total contribution to the Fund is now more than $41 million.

Earlier this week, Kyiv received the first tranche from Ottawa of a loan of $1.7 billion, covered by frozen Russian assets.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasized that “strong pressure” is needed on Russia to end Moscow’s 37-month invasion.

Addressing the virtual summit convened by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday, Zelensky said:

The President referred to the Ukraine-US proposal for a 30-day interim ceasefire, agreed Tuesday, and Vladimir Putin’s rejection: “Now we see it clearly. A ceasefire could have already happened, but Russia is doing everything to prevent it.”

He called out Putin’s lies that Ukrainian troops are surrounded in the Kursk region in western Russia and that “a ceasefire is supposedly too complicated”.

This is Russia’s war — more than three years of full-scale fighting and destruction. To stop this, active pressure is needed, not just talks….Strong measures are needed to take even the first steps toward ending the war.

This includes sanctions against Russia that must not only be maintained but continuously strengthened.

Zelensky asked for a “clear position on security guarantees”, for investment in defense production, and for bolstered air defense. He called on the leaders to speak with other countries and with Donald Trump about the need for “real peace”.

Starmer: “Putin Will Have to Come to the Table”

After the summit — attended by leaders of the European Commission, European countries, NATO, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — the UK’s Starmer said military officials will meet next week as plans to end Russia’s invasion move to an “operational phase”.

He accused Putin of trying to delay peace and assured:

Sooner or later Putin will have to come to the table. So this is the moment. Let the guns fall silent, let the barbaric attacks on Ukraine once and for all stop, and agree to a ceasefire now.

Now is the time to engage in discussion on a mechanism to manage and monitor a full ceasefire, and agree to serious negotiations towards not just a pause, but a lasting peace, backed by strong security arrangements through our coalition of the willing.

The summit had agreed on increasing pressure on Russia, maintaining military aid to Ukraine, and tightening the restrictions on Russia’s economy, as well as Thursday’s military meeting.