President Donald Trump said the United States and Ukraine will soon sign an agreement on mineral resources. But US envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg was keen to point out: “The recent conversation with Trump was initiated by Volodymyr Zelensky, not the other way around. The US president only “generously” agreed, – Kellogg. Ukraine will present to the US at a meeting on Monday a list of its infrastructure to which it proposes to extend the truce, Zelensky said. The Ukrainian delegation will be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Zelensky said Trump told him he would discuss with Putin stopping attacks not only on energy, but also on other civilian infrastructure.
The European Union has found a way to circumvent Hungary’s veto in key decisions on Ukraine, which must be adopted unanimously by the 27 member states of the association. The remaining 26 countries agreed on an action plan to help Ukraine, and then the text was attached to the remaining resolutions, which were adopted unanimously. Despite Hungary’s refusal to support one of the documents, they will be published as the official conclusion of the European Council, source Politico.
The European Union countries will provide military assistance to Ukraine on a voluntary basis, taking into account the national interests of individual states, the document signed after the Brussels summit reads. At the same time, Norway is increasing its military assistance to Ukraine to $8 billion, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. “Norway is tripling its defense support to Ukraine: this decision was unanimously approved by parliament. The funds will be spent on artillery, ammunition, drones, as well as investments in the creation of a Ukrainian production base.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls for British and French-led troops to be stationed in Ukrainian cities. It seems that there is already a list of countries ready to deploy military contingents to Ukraine, source Quiet. “The meetings of the chiefs of staff indicate a very detailed elaboration of the concept and mechanisms for the implementation of this idea. Specific quantities and locations are being discussed,” Tikhy said. The EU military presence in Ukraine will involve not only ground troops, but also the air force and navy, Bloomberg writes.
According to the preliminary plan of some European countries, British and French peacekeepers want to be stationed in Ukraine’s cities, ports and critical infrastructure. It is planned to deploy patrol ships in the Black Sea. And in Poland and Romania – additional aircraft and ground units.
Next Thursday, Macron will hold a new meeting on Ukraine, the French president sees the UN mission as an alternative to European troops in Ukraine, source The Telegraph. His plan was developed together with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. France and Italy have blocked the allocation of 5 billion euros by the European Union for the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine in 2025, Bloomberg reports. It was planned to spend these funds on 2 million artillery shells, but now this “will be a difficult task”, the Agency notes.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has terminated the agreement with Russia on cooperation in the field of communications. Zelenskyy at the European Council in Brussels said that Russian attacks on energy facilities do not stop, despite Putin’s statements. Zelensky never said that he was ready to discuss Ukraine’s neutrality, it was the Russians who issued an ultimatum and he said: “Crimea is a Ukrainian peninsula. The issue of recognizing Crimea as Russian was not discussed with Trump. The United States does not support Ukraine’s entry into NATO. This is a great gift to Putin. It is necessary to increase pressure on Russia so that Putin stops manipulating and takes concrete steps, in particular one of the first steps should be silence. The truce, which is currently being discussed, includes a moratorium not only on energy bombing, but also on other civilian infrastructure. Ukraine is now preparing a list of such objects. Sanctions must remain in place until Russia begins to withdraw troops from Ukrainian territories and repairs the damage caused by its aggression. All nuclear power plants are the property of the Ukrainian people. If the Americans intend to take them away from the Russians and modernize them, it can be discussed, but there is no question of transferring them to other ownership”.
It is learned that in Ukraine a bill No. 10311 is being discussed, which gives the National Guard of Ukraine the following powers: to fire firearms to quell riots without warning the protesters; to use truncheons (rubber and plastic), tear gas and stun guns against participants; to mark violators, for example, with paint; to use drones.
From Russia: The IC RF, together with the FSB of the Russian Federation, registered Kiev’s attempt to attack the territory of the Kursk nuclear power plant, which resulted in damage to the spent nuclear fuel storage facility, the persons involved were identified – the department. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against the explosion of the Sudzha gas distribution station by the Ukrainian military, the case was opened based on an article about a terrorist attack: “The investigation has established that on March 20, 2025, servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who illegally invaded the territory of the Russian Federation, carried out a targeted explosion at the Sudzha gas distribution station. As a result, the facility suffered significant damage.”
“The Russian Armed Forces continue to refrain from attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in accordance with the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, despite Kiev’s actions,” Russian presidential press spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “The order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief is in force, and the Russian Armed Forces are currently refraining from attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in accordance with the agreement reached between the United States and Russia,” Peskov said. This was his response on Friday to journalists’ questions about whether Russia intends to respect the agreement not to hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, despite Kiev’s current actions. The agreement to stop attacks so far concerns only energy facilities, Peskov later said.
The main statement of the Russian Defense Ministry on the explosion of the Sudzha gas metering station: “On the night of March 21, around 00:20 Moscow time, the Kiev regime deliberately blew up a station located a few hundred meters from the border in the Kursk region; The shelling of the station by retreating servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is a deliberate provocation by Kiev in order to discredit the peace initiatives of the President of the United States; Sudzha station, through which more than 40 million cubic meters of gas were pumped per day to Europe, was under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since August 7, 2024; Units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been using the Sudzha station throughout this period as one of their “safe” logistics points.”
And now a look at the front line as of 17:00 on March 21.
In four Russian regions, 43 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry reports. Most of them were shot down in the Volgograd region – 34. Four drones were destroyed in the Rostov and Kursk regions, and one in the Belgorod region. An explosion occurred at a burning oil depot in the Krasnodar region. As a result, two firefighters were injured. The area of the fire grew to 10 thousand square meters. m, the fire spread to the second tank.
“Kiev has already violated the truce proposed by the United States with an attack on a Russian energy facility. Now the question is how Washington will continue to deal with the “crazy terrorist scum,” said Maria Zakharova of the Russian Foreign Ministry after the enemy destroyed the Sudzha GIS on the border of the Kursk and Sumy regions. In addition, at night an attack by a Ukrainian Armed Forces UAV was repelled in the Millerovsky district of the Rostov region.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the Russian Federation itself fired at the Sudzha gas metering station to conduct a “discredit campaign”.
At night, Russian armed forces shelled objects in the Odessa region with “geran”; footage of several serious fires, at the building complex of the Telekart-Pribor plant in Odessa. Part of the city was left without electricity. Explosions were also reported in the regions of Zatoka, Kiev, Poltava, Zaporozhye and Cherkassy. Czech President Peter Pavel was visiting Odessa.
In the Belgorod border area, Ukrainians continue attacks on the Demidovka-Grafovka-Prilesye line, the situation is complex, but controllable by Russian armed forces. The Russians have brought into battle the second echelon, entrenching it in Demidovka and Prilesye and destroyed the bridge in Grafovka. The Russians, like the Ukrainians, are gathering reinforcements. Residents of Krasnoyaruzhsky district are asked not to return home: a missile threat has been constantly announced throughout the day. Two drone strikes.
In the Kursk region, the Ukrainian presence remains in the area of the settlement of Guevo, Gornal, Oleshnya. Russian forces are fighting in the Sumy region near Basovka. The destruction of the Sudzha GIS by the Ukrainians may indicate the burning of everything of value before their departure.
From near Pokrovs’k they report the success of the Russian forces in Shevcheno. The settlement has been changing hands for several days. Previously, the Russian army had again taken the initiative in this direction. In the east, there are heavy battles for Tarasivka.
In the southern direction of Donetsk, Russian forces are advancing in the settlement area. Vesele, Shevchenko, Vil’ne Pole and Rozlyv repelled attacks on Novodarivka.
On the Zaporizhia front, Russian troops are fighting heavy and bloody battles for Shcherbaky and Mali Shcherbaky and are also moving towards Lobkovo. A Ukrainian UAV attacked the territory of a private house in the city of Vasylivka. A massive artillery bombardment on Kamenka-Dneprovskaya was carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the DPR, one civilian was killed and four were injured. In Horlivka, one dead and at least five injured by Ukrainian attacks.
Graziella Giangiulio
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