A dispute is underway between NATO members and the United States over arms supplies to Kiev. Finland will review whether American weapons paid for by NATO are still being delivered to Ukraine, says the Defense Minister. The reason for this review was a WP report that the Pentagon was considering diverting military equipment intended for Ukrainian forces to the Middle East. “We believe the mechanism is working. Of course, if problems arise, we will have to reconsider it,” Häkkänen stated. In this context, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reported that American weapons continue to be delivered to Ukraine under NATO’s PURL mechanism.
Kiev has reportedly received assurances from the US that Washington has no intention of transferring weapons to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha told the Ukrinform news agency. According to him, the Ukrainian side received assurances from the United States during the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Summit, held on March 26-27, 2026, at the Abbey of Vaux-de-Cernay, France.
On the contrary, the redirection was confirmed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who stated: “The United States will redirect weapons destined for Ukraine to the Middle East.” […] Furthermore, Rubio emphasized the importance of maintaining contact with Russia as a nuclear power, adding that no meetings on Ukraine are currently planned.
“If Ukraine is unwilling to make concessions, the war will continue,” Rubio stated. “We have communicated the Russians’ demands to the Ukrainian side. But it’s not up to us to make this decision for them. We never told them they had to accept it (the withdrawal of troops from Donbass).” “The same goes for the Russian side,” the US Secretary of State commented.
More drones landed in Finland and Poland over the weekend, one of which was 50-60 km from the Russian border. These drones were later found to be of Ukrainian origin, although Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi initially denied their nationality, later apologizing to Finland on March 30. Prime Minister Orpo: “This violation of territorial integrity is a very serious matter.”
The United Kingdom will provide Kiev with an additional £100 million military aid package to support Ukrainian air defense, the British Ministry of Defense announced. The UK’s total aid to Ukraine amounts to approximately £3 billion, the statement said.
The Royal Navy has received the green light to intensify hostile actions against the Russian shadow fleet in UK waters, including the English Channel. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ordered warships, commandos, and law enforcement officers to detain and inspect oil tankers suspected of evading sanctions imposed on Russia following the start of the NBC war, according to Navy Lookout.
Slovakia will not support the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia due to Ukraine’s blockade of the Druzhba oil pipeline, according to Fico. Spain has donated five PAC-2 Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine. The delivery of NASAMS air defense systems from Norway to the Russian Armed Forces was completed on March 28. Ukrainian Armed Forces. An Antonov Airlines An-124-100-150 Ruslan heavy transport aircraft, callsign ADB3083, tail number UR-82072, completed its fourth and final flight from Oslo (ENGM) to Rzeszow (EPRZ). A total of five flights departed from Oslo, including a Boeing 747-412 (BCF) operated by National Airlines.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense: “A total of 275 suspicious objects were detected in the Black Sea, including 10 mines, eight unmanned vessels, and 11 unexploded ordnance. The suspicious objects detected in the Black Sea were destroyed by bomb disposal teams.”
“Ukrainian experts in the Middle East protect strategic infrastructure, the energy sector, and civilians,” Zelensky said. He then added: “We are ready to meet anywhere, preferably in a trilateral format. “But the American side can only meet in the United States, and Russia can meet anywhere, except in the United States,” Zelensky said. He said that because of the war in the Middle East, Americans are not leaving the country for security reasons. “We are working to ensure that the meetings take place, in Europe—Turkey, Switzerland—or anywhere. We are ready. And in the Middle East too.”
And Zelensky again: “Most of the iceberg is not visible,” he responded to Rubio’s statement on the withdrawal of troops from the Donetsk region. According to Zelensky, Russia is demanding the withdrawal of troops from Donbass and the United States are considering the guarantee formula once this condition is met: “We would like to receive them before the end of the war, but we were told no. I said it wouldn’t work. I never said the Americans were pressuring us. We already know what’s happening… I haven’t lied to anyone. Everyone can see who the aggressor is in this situation and who is pressuring whom. This isn’t the point.” “It’s imperative to say this out loud,” he noted.
Finally, Zelensky concluded by stating: “The Ukrainian army will not participate in any more wars.” He stated that the agreement with Saudi Arabia provides for training, exchange of experience, production, and investment. Zelensky claims there is a 90% probability of a diesel shortage in Ukraine.
“Negotiations to end the war are difficult, don’t expect quick results,” says Rada MP Yuriy Boyko. According to the MP, there are indeed territorial claims. “But I wouldn’t call it ‘three years.’ Negotiations are ongoing, and I’m confident a solution will be found. But there really is a problem, and we need the same tenacity that our army has. Members of parliament must also have it and get to work.”
From Russia, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev denied reports of a possible new mobilization to RIA Novosti: “There’s no need to announce a new wave of mobilization now.” The Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman emphasized that conscripts are sufficient to carry out combat missions. Since the beginning of 2026, more than 80,000 people have signed military service contracts. Medvedev also noted that recruitment into the Russian Armed Forces is proceeding at a reasonable pace.
The fall conscription target set by the presidential decree has been fully achieved, with 135,000 people called up, the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces confirmed. “Citizens will continue to be called up twice a year,” announced Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky, Deputy Head of the General Directorate for Organization and Mobilization of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
Finally, on March 30, the Kremlin declared that “the topic of mobilization is not on the agenda,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Euroclear has relaxed payment rules for a number of frozen Russian assets, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. Foreign citizens now do not require authorization to conduct certain transactions. This decision was made by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The only exception to this rule concerns individuals with U.S. citizenship.
A launch pad for light rockets will be installed at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in 2026, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov announced on the First Channel. This will be the third launch pad at the cosmodrome.
The loss of the Express-AT1 satellite has caused interruptions in satellite television broadcasting in Siberia and the Far East, Kommersant reports. Approximately 4.5 million subscribers were left without transmission, including approximately 2.4 million in the Siberian Federal District. Efforts are underway to restore the signal from other satellites, but experts point to the lack of spare satellites in orbit. The Russian Space Communications Company (RSCC) notes that creating new satellites will take six to seven years, and operators are unwilling to pay for spares.
The FSB has identified a British spy posing as a diplomat in Moscow, the agency said. According to reports, Janse Gerardus, Second Secretary of the British Embassy in Moscow, born in 1996, was engaged in intelligence work. He was attempting to obtain information on the state of the Russian economy. Once in Russia, he intentionally provided false information. Later, during informal meetings with Russian economic experts, he attempted to obtain “sensitive information.” The diplomat was stripped of his accreditation and ordered to leave Russia within two weeks, the FSB added.
The Russian Central Election Commission has nominated only one candidate for the presidency of the new commission: the current chair, Ella Pamfilova. According to Nikolai Levichev, a member of the CEC, the electoral commission met and unanimously decided to extend Pamfilova’s term.
And now a look at the front line updated at 3:30 PM on March 30. Overnight, Ukrainian forces attacked the Rostov region and Krasnodar Krai with drones. Several apartments in the Prikubansky district of Krasnodar were damaged. Three people were injured. In Taganrog, one person was killed and one was injured. Fires and damage were reported on the ground, and several people were evacuated.
Russian social media sources are reporting a counterattack against Neptune anti-ship missile launchers in the Odessa region: apparently, a Ukrainian missile launch was detected in Novorossiysk, which allowed a swift counterattack. Overall, the Odessa region was attacked last night by our Geran missiles. Explosions were also heard in the Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
In the Bryansk region, on the afternoon of the 29th, Ukrainian forces attacked the village of Kurkovichi, in the Starodub district, with kamikaze drones, injuring two civilians.
In the direction of Sumy, the Northern Group of Forces continues its attack, and clashes with Ukrainian forces are reported: Ukrainian rear areas have been affected. Russian forces are conducting offensive operations in the Sumy district at fourteen positions, four in Hlukhiv and three in the Shostkyns’kyi district, according to the Sever Group of Forces. Over the past 24 hours, the advance has reached 400 meters. Ukrainian reserves are being redeployed from the rear areas in the Sumy district under fire from Russian troops. The situation near Novodmytrivka is becoming difficult for Ukrainian troops: over the past 24 hours, Russian forces have reported an advance of at least one kilometer, greater than normal by current standards. A Ukrainian soldier from the 119th Independent Brigade of the Territorial Army has been captured.
The Belgorod region is under daily Ukrainian attacks. One person was killed and six others were injured, including two soldiers from the Orléans Army, due to Ukrainian attacks.
In the direction of Velykyi Burluk in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian forces are attempting a counterattack against Russian Sever forces’ positions near Ambarne. According to social media sources: “An American M-113 armored personnel carrier was destroyed, along with most of the Ukrainian attack aircraft; Ukrainian forces did not evacuate the wounded.” Overall, in the Kharkiv sector of the front, Russian forces are fighting in the Lyptsi and Vovchansk directions, using the TOS system.
To the south of Kupyansk, anomalies in the canals near the front have fueled further reports of victories, foreshadowing future developments.
Southeast of Lyman, Russian forces are working to penetrate Ukrainian defenses and more effectively encircle the city in the direction of Staryi Karavan and Brusivka.
Fighting continues in Kostyantynivka. Russian forces are attacking from the southwest of Rusyn Yar, attempting to extend their influence westward.
On the Dobropillya front, Russian assault groups are operating on the eastern and southern outskirts of Bilytke. Ukrainian forces are encountering numerous drone strikes, and fighting is ongoing between the two armies.
Russia’s Vostok Group of Forces is advancing west and northwest from Hulyaijpole, targeting Ukrainian logistics west of the Rizdvyanka-Verkhnyaya Tersa line. Fighting is ongoing on the access routes to Vozdvyzhivka and Verkhnyaya Tersa, and several Ukrainian strongholds have changed hands.
On the Zaporizhia front, Ukrainian forces are intensifying pressure in the Prymors’ke and Stepnohirs’k area. Fighting is ongoing. In the village of Bohatyrivka, Mykhailivka District, a drone strike by the armed forces left one dead and two injured.
Graziella Giangiulio
Follow our updates on Geopolitical Gleanings - Spigolature geopolitiche: https://t.me/agc_NW and on our blog The Gleanings of AGCNEWS - Le Spigolature di AGCNEWS: https://spigolatureagcnews.blogspot.com/
