Russians launched ballistic missile stike on Kryvyi Rih, damaging a hotel. Casualtes confirmed

Russian forces launched a ballistic missile strike on Kyvyi Rih. One missile hit a five-story hotel. Three people were killed, and another 31 were injured. According to President Zelenskyy, a group of Ukrainian, British and American volunteers checked into the hotel just before the missile strike. Luckily, they managed to get into the bomb shelter intime.

Besides the hotel, 14 apartment buildings, a post office, nearly 20 cars, a cultural institution and 12 shops have been damaged.

A facility of the Shipping company"Nova Poshta" was desttroued during the air attack on the Odesa region with parcels worth a million 

During a Russian drone attack on the night of March 5, a Nova Poshta branch on the outskirts of Odesa was destroyed, along with parcels worth over 1 million UAH, the company reported.

One of the Russian Shahed drones struck the facility during a massive overnight assault. Fortunately, there were no casualties. A mobile post office has been deployed at the site to ensure continued service for customers.

According to Nova Poshta, 606 parcels with a declared value exceeding 1 million UAH were turned to ashes.

The company assured customers that they would be compensated for their losses.

European peace plan will be ready soon – Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced during a conversation with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob that Ukraine and its European partners are developing a plan to achieve a fair and sustainable peace.

Zelensky informed Golob about the recent leaders' summit in London, emphasizing that preparations for the plan are moving quickly. "We are working on it quickly. It will be ready soon," he said.

The Ukrainian President highlighted Europe's shared vision for ending the war and establishing security guarantees. "Europe should be at the table of future negotiations along with Ukraine and the United States," he stressed.

Zelenskyy's political opponents responded to reports about secret talks with Trump's team

Yuliia Tymoshenko, leader of Ukraine’s Batkivshchyna party, and former President Petro Poroshenko, leader of the European Solidarity party, have responded to a Politico report alleging that they held secret talks with members of Donald Trump's team. Both politicians reaffirmed their opposition to holding elections before achieving peace.

Tymoshenko stated that Ukraine is ready for negotiations to end the war under strong leadership from Trump. "The Batkivshchyna team (name of the political party led by Tymoshenko) holds talks with all our allies who can help ensure a just peace as soon as possible," she wrote on Facebook, adding that elections during wartime are "out of the question."

Poroshenko emphasized that his party maintains "public and transparent" relations with American partners to sustain bipartisan support for Ukraine. He criticized the Ukrainian government for lacking effective communication with the US administration, warning that this poses risks to the state.

"Our team has always been and remains categorically against elections during the war," Poroshenko stated. He accused the authorities of using state resources to influence potential elections and reiterated that voting should only take place "after a ceasefire and the signing of a peace agreement with security guarantees for Ukraine."

The Politico report claims that four senior Trump associates secretly met with Tymoshenko and Poroshenko at a time when both Washington and Moscow were allegedly aligning efforts to remove President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from power.

Putin stated that Russia does not plan to retreat in the war against Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that Russia will not retreat in its war against Ukraine, emphasizing that the Kremlin will only accept a peace agreement that aligns with its own interests.

According to TASS, Putin stated that Moscow seeks a settlement that would "guarantee peace for the historical perspective," signaling that any negotiations would be conditioned on terms favorable to Russia.

This stance underscores Russia’s continued unwillingness to compromise, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict.

Ukraine's central bank has increased its key policy rate to 15.5% and warned about potential risks associated with foreign policy

Ukraine’s National Bank (NBU) will raise the key policy rate from 14.5% to 15.5% per annum starting March 7, according to Chairman Andrii Pyshnyi. This marks the second rate hike in 2025, following a January increase from 13.5% to 14.5%.

The move comes as Ukraine battles inflation, which accelerated to 12% in 2024—exceeding NBU’s forecast—after a sharp spike to 26.6% in 2022 due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. The decision aims to preserve the attractiveness of savings in hryvnia, stabilize the foreign exchange market, and curb inflation expectations toward the 5% target.

Pyshnyi emphasized that the NBU remains ready to take further action if inflationary risks persist. The central bank's decision reflects increasing geopolitical uncertainty, including shifting U.S. policies under President Donald Trump, potential tariff disputes, and growing economic fragmentation worldwide.

Despite concerns over external financing, the NBU stated that Ukraine's confirmed international support for 2025 should be sufficient to cover budget needs and maintain stable foreign exchange reserves without new debt issuance.

U.S. Pushes Ukraine for Ceasefire as a part of the Minerals Deal - Bloomberg Reports

The United States is pressing Ukraine to commit to a rapid ceasefire with Russia as a condition for reviving a stalled minerals deal, according to Bloomberg’s March 6, 2025, report. The Trump administration sees the agreement, which would tap Ukraine’s vast reserves of rare earth elements like lithium and titanium, as a key lever to end the ongoing war, following a failed attempt to finalize it during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s contentious February 28 White House visit with President Donald Trump. European officials note that the U.S. is tying the deal’s revival to Ukraine’s willingness to pursue peace talks with Moscow, despite Kyiv’s insistence on immediate security guarantees—a sticking point that derailed last week’s negotiations. While the U.S. aims to secure resources and scale back overseas commitments, European allies like UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer push for a unified stance ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty, amid concerns over Russia’s control of mineral-rich territories and the lack of firm U.S. assurances.