Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with military commanders, Kyiv, March 22, 2026

Sunday’s Coverage: “Constructive” Ukraine-US Talks In Florida

UPDATE 0756 GMT:

Ukraine’s top negotiators and Donald Trump’s envoys concluded two days of talks in Florida on Sunday.

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky respectfully addressed the Trump camp.

I am very grateful to American society for its clear support for a normal, dignified peace for Ukraine. It is important that none of us is forced to return to war in a few months or years, which means that security guarantees for Ukraine and for all of Europe must be sufficient for a reliable peace.

He gave no details of the talks because, as he awaited the return of the negotiating team, these “cannot be safely discussed over the phone”.

However, he said, “There are signals that further exchanges may be possible, and this would be good news and confirmation that diplomacy is working.”

Trump envoy and real estate developed Steve Witkoff posted, “We remain encouraged by the continued, substantive engagement”:

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Russia has launched its spring offensive trying to seize territory in eastern Ukraine, but is reportedly taking heavy casualties.

After a net loss on the frontlines in February, with a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south regaining up to 450 square km (174 square miles), the Russians are attacking in the Donetsk region.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted, after a meeting with with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov, “The only tangible outcome for the Russian army has been an increase in their losses – more than 8,000 killed and seriously wounded Russian soldiers in just these seven days.”

In the Donetsk region, our positions have not significantly changed over the past week. In the Kharkiv region and in border communities of the Sumy region, we are observing attempts by the occupier to advance from the border – Russian units carrying out these attempts are being destroyed.

Zelensky claimed that the Russian command was finally recognizing the scale of the losses, “where their units are actually located on the frontline and how this differs from the official reports submitted up the chain of command”. Some brigade-level commanders were replaced as punishment for false reporting, he asserted.

Ukraine holds around 20% of Donetsk, a “Fortress Belt” preventing the Russians from advancing further into the country. Moscow’s forces have stepped up operations in the direction of Slovynask, at the northern tip of the Belt.

With the Russians around 20 km from Slovyansk, Ukrainian authorities ordered children to be evacuated from the area in anticipation of an assault.

A Ukrainian military spokesperson said Russian forces are attacking from various direction, in an attempt to distract Ukraine’s drone-based defenses. They added that Russian forces are also launching, more KAB-3000 guided glide bombs, Lancet loitering munitions, and Molniya fixed-wing drone strikes in the direction of the hub of Lyman.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War assesses, “Russian forces are unlikely to seize the Fortress Belt in 2026 but will likely make some tactical gains at a significant cost.”

The ISW noted a report that the Russians suffered 405 casualties out of more than 500 personnel involved in a battalion-sized mechanized assault last Thursday: “Such a casualty rate is unsustainable and would likely degrade the Russian ability to wage such large assaults in the mid- to long-term.”

Zelensky: US Easing of Sanctions “Gives Russia A Sense Of Impunity”

Zelensky posted on Sunday about the scale of Russia’s aerial assault, aided by US relaxation of sanctions on Moscow:

Revenues give Russia a sense of impunity and the ability to continue the war. That is why pressure must continue and sanctions must work.

He called on European partners to step up confiscation of vessels of the Russian “shadow fleet”.

The Russian Government’s oil revenues fell by 47% in January and February because of US sanctions on Russia’s top oil companies and their international customers.

However, in the US-Israel War on Iran, the Trump Administration is under pressure from a surge in global oil prices. So it has given all countries a waiver until April 11 for purchases of Russian oil which is at sea.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent again defended the relaxation in an interview on Sunday, offering a convoluted explanation.