Russia launched a large-scale drone attack right after the phone call between Putin and Trump

On the evening of March 18, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with approximately 150 UAVs. In Sumy, Shahed kamikaze drone hit the local hospital. Russia also struck the cities of Donetsk region, Zhytomyr region, Sumy region, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kirovograd, Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy region worked on the drones.

On the night of Wednesday, March 19, Russian troops attacked Kyiv region with drones. In the Bucha district, 20 two-storey buildings, 15 houses and 19 cars were damaged. Two other buildings and the summer terrace of a restaurant were also damaged. A 54-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman were injured in the attack.

The US is in secret talks with Zelensky's political opponents

According to a Politico report cited in posts on X on March 19, 2025, the United States is conducting secret negotiations with political opponents of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The discussions reportedly involve key figures from Donald Trump’s inner circle, including special envoy Steve Witkoff, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, and Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr. These talks, which also include Jared Kushner as noted in broader coverage, appear aimed at engaging Ukrainian opposition figures like Yulia Tymoshenko and Petro Poroshenko to explore the possibility of early presidential elections following a ceasefire but before comprehensive peace negotiations with Russia. This back-channel effort suggests a strategy to influence Ukraine’s political landscape, potentially to install a leader more amenable to U.S. and Russian interests, amid ongoing tensions with Zelenskyy, though the information remains unconfirmed by official sources and should be treated as speculative.

USA - Russia ceasefire talks set for March 23 in Jeddah - US envoy Witkoff

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff announced that diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Russia will take place on March 23 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with discussions led by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The talks will focus on ceasefire conditions, particularly concerning energy infrastructure and Black Sea security. While Russia has reportedly agreed to these aspects, it remains uncertain whether Ukraine will be included in the negotiations. Witkoff emphasized that recent discussions with Putin had significantly narrowed the gap between Russia and Ukraine, describing a recent three-hour meeting with the Russian leader as productive.

On March 18, following a 1.5-hour phone call with Donald Trump, Putin agreed to a 30-day halt on strikes against energy infrastructure. The Kremlin's statement confirmed that Trump had proposed a mutual pause in attacks on such facilities, which Putin accepted, issuing immediate orders to the Russian military. Additionally, Putin responded constructively to Trump’s proposal on Black Sea navigation security, leading to plans for further negotiations to refine the details. Witkoff credited Trump’s leadership for the progress in discussions, asserting that his approach to foreign policy had pushed both sides closer to a potential peace agreement.

Ukaraine and Russia exchanged prisoners

Ukraine returned 175 soldiers from Russian captivity. In addition, 22 more defenders returned home through measures outside of the exchanges. Among them are the seriously wounded and soldiers who were persecuted by Russia for fabricated crimes. All of them will be immediately provided with the necessary medical and psychological assistance.

“This is one of the largest exchanges. Our soldiers, sergeants and officers are returning. The soldiers who fought for our freedom in the Armed Forces, Navy, National Guard, Territorial Defense Forces and Border Guard. They defended Ukraine in different directions - in Mariupol, at Azovstal, in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, as well as Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Kursk regions,” -Zelenskyy said.