Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Doha, March 28, 2026

Saturday’s Coverage: Rubio Denies US Demand for Kyiv to Give Up Donetsk Region

UPDATE 1435 GMT:

Ukraine has reportedly struck one of Russia’s key terminals for energy exports, Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea, for the third time in a week.

The terminal stopped accepted shipments from refineries on Wednesday after damage from the second set of Ukrainian drone attacks.

The nearby port of Primorsk stopped taking diesel fuel on Monday after another Ukrainian drone assault.

The Ust-Luga terminal is one of Russia’s main fuel export hubs. It has a throughput capacity of 30 million tons per year, including 19 million tons of heavy petroleum products.

UPDATE 1410 GMT:

Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen says two drones have been found on Finnish territory. Police have isolated the areas for further investigation.

“The situation is taken very seriously by Finnish authorities,” Hakkanen emphasized.

UPDATE 1041 GMT:

At least three civilians have been murdered and at least 20 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses downed 380 of 442 drones, including around 300 Iran-type attack UAVs. The Russians also fired a Kinzhal aeroballistic missile.

In the Sumy region, a 20-year-old woman was killed by a Russian artillery strike. A 75-year-old man was fatally injured after a Russian drone exploded as he was approaching the road.

Five others were wounded, including a 6-year-old girl, across the region.

In the Kherson region in the south, one person was killed and two wounded.

Casualties were also reported in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

UPDATE 0738 GMT:

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak says Moscow will ban gasoline exports from April 1 to meet domestic demand.

The ban through July 31 comes amid the spike in gasoline prices because of the US-Israel War on Iran and the escalating toll of Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.

Novak ordered the Russian Energy Ministry to prepare legislation for the prohibition. “The turbulence in the global market for crude oil and oil products, driven by the Middle East crisis, has led to significant price volatility,” he said.

About 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity has reportedly been halted because of Ukrainian drone strikes, tanker seizures, and damage to key pipelines.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Continuing his tour of the Gulf States, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky signed defense cooperation agreements with the UAE and Qatar.

The pacts followed a similar arrangement during Zelensky’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday.

Zelensky announced on Sunday, “We are talking about a 10-year cooperation. We have already signed a relevant agreement with Saudi Arabia, We have just signed a similar agreement with Qatar, also for 10 years, we will sign one with the Emirates,”

Ukraine has bolstered its position in the Gulf with provision of anti-drone weapons and experts amid the US-Israel War and Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes across the Gulf.

Zelensky told reporters in Qatar, “The first priority is weapons — their production, exchange of experience, and the exchange of scarce resources that one country may have and another lacks. During these 10 years, we will engage in co-production. We will build factories both in Ukraine and in these countries.”

He added, “If you want a high-level relationship with Ukraine, it’s not just drones. It’s our specialists. And the specialists are our soldiers.”