Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 03-15-2025

Stefan Korshak, Kyiv Post’s military correspondent, shares his perspective on recent developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

If you want a read-out on the “peace process” this week, bottom section. I am more convinced than ever the best way to monitor developments on that front is to pay as little attention to the messaging, noise, fake news and posturing as possible. They want to waste my time and energy, I won’t let them.

As always, I think the most important thing is paying attention battlefield lethality. Which brings me very neatly to the first section.

UK PM accelerates practical preparations to support a peace deal.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday said military chiefs would meet in the UK on Thursday to discuss plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine to protect any eventual ceasefire.

“We agreed to accelerate our practical work to support a potential deal, so we will now move into an operational phase,” Starmer said after hosting a virtual meeting of some 25 fellow leaders.

Ukraine’s defeat in Kursk could have been the result of a secret deal between the US and Russia, akin to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939.

How can we explain Trump’s recent aggressive actions against Ukraine?

Half a year ago, I predicted that if Trump were elected, his administration would:

Thanks to the Trump administration and their so-called DOGE initiative, led by Elon Musk, funds have been pulled from countering Russia’s kidnapping of Ukrainian children.

Children should never be weapons of war. Yet, in the 21st century, before the eyes of the entire world, Russia is systematically abducting Ukrainian children, erasing their identities, and turning them into little Russians, while the West collectively shrugs. And now, to make the irony even greater, Elon Musk has decided to financially cut off those working to bring them home.

This is not just another decision by a billionaire. This is not one of his whims, like renaming Twitter or pumping Dogecoin. This is complicity in one of the most insidious war crimes of our time – the systematic theft of children, an act that amounts to nothing less than genocide.

With US aid in flux, Ukraine is turning to EU loans, frozen Russian assets, and its growing defense industry. But can these alternatives fully replace Washington’s military support? Here’s what we kno

When the United States officially halted military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine last week, it sent shockwaves through Kyiv’s leadership.

And when leaders from both countries issued a joint statement on Tuesday, saying that both military aid and intelligence sharing had “immediately” been reinstated after state representatives held bilateral talks in Saudi Arabia, there was a collective sigh of relief in much of Ukraine.

The world in focus, as seen by Canadian leading global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw in a quick review of the biggest news in international media today.

The Trump administration is brushing aside decades of precedent by ordering Columbia University in New York City to oust the leadership of an academic department, a demand seen as a direct attack on academic freedom and a warning of what’s to come for other colleges facing federal scrutiny. Federal officials told the university it must immediately place its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under “academic receivership for a minimum of five years.” The demand was among several described as conditions for receiving federal funding, including $400 million already pulled over allegations of antisemitism. Across academia, it was seen as a stunning intrusion. “It’s an escalation of a kind that is unheard of,” said Joan Scott, a historian and member of the academic freedom committee of the American Association of University Professors. “Even during the McCarthy period in the United States, this was not done.” President Donald Trump has been threatening to withhold federal funding from colleges that do not get in line with his agenda, from transgender athletes’ participating in women’s sports to diversity, equity and inclusion programs. On Friday, his administration announced investigations into 52 universities as part of his DEI crackdown - AP

U.S. attempts to bring peace to Ukraine appears to be hitting the walls of the Kremlin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of trying to slow down the process and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of manipulative tactics. “The onus is now on Russia to accept or refuse the U.S. proposal for an 30-day ceasefire- and show the world who is truly the barrier to peace,” I told BBC World Television early this morning. In London, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to convene a second summit, this time virtually, of leaders belonging to a western “coalition of the willing” - which has now grown to around 25 to include Australia and New Zealand. It’ll also mark the first time newly sworn-in Mark Carney takes part as Canadian prime minister. US President Donald Trump has praised talks held with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the US-proposed ceasefire deal in Ukraine as “good and productive”. He said in a Truth Social post that the talks provided “a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end”. Absent from his recent remarks were earlier threats to “arm Ukraine to the teeth” should Moscow not offer concessions that will lead to peace.

In an interview, the Norwegian filmmaker and volunteer reflects on how he came to Ukraine and why he supports Ukraine’s war effort.

Harald Omland describes his motivation to support Ukraine:

When I see all the brave soldiers doing their job and I see all the people these women stand behind, they could flee and get a pass to Europe, but they stay to build the country. They are true heroes of this war. It is not just a wish; it is an obligation for us, the whole world, to help –

Italo-French air defense systems protecting Ukrainian cities and infrastructure are reportedly running low on missiles for their Italo-French anti-aircraft.

The two SAMP/T surface-to-air anti-aircraft batteries that Italy and France have delivered to Ukraine have practically exhausted their supply of missiles, according to Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

The missile systems will soon become unusable. For weeks now, Volodymyr Zelensky’s government has been asking the two countries to send more projectiles, the Aster-30. At least 50 of them are needed.

UK rallying coalition of the willing in response to Russia’s intransigence on peace negotiations.

UK premier Keir Starmer will prod fellow leaders Saturday to sign up to a coalition willing to protect any eventual ceasefire in Ukraine, having said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “not serious about peace”.

The British prime minister is expected to tell some 25 fellow leaders during a virtual summit that “now is the time for concrete commitments”, as Putin mulls a US proposal of a 30-day pause to the conflict.

An anti-graft rally planned for the weekend has the Serbian capital of Belgrade on edge. It is the latest in a slew of anti-government demonstrations.

Tens of thousands of protesters were set to converge in Serbia’s capital Belgrade Saturday, the latest in a series of anti-corruption demonstrations to upend the Balkan country in recent months.

The stage was set for what could be the largest single protest since the anti-graft movement which first coalesced after 15 people were killed when a railway station roof collapsed in the city of Novi Sad in November.

Ukrainian industries can produce as many as 4 million drones a year, says Zelensky. Since the full-scale invasion 1,000 new types of weaponry have been launched.

The share of domestically produced military equipment used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine stood at 30% last year, with domestic production capacity up sixfold on 2023.

The total volume of weapons production in Ukraine stood at $10 billion in 2024, according to a report by the Ukrainian Armament Manufacturers Council, which groups private defense manufacturers.

The world is appalled by how the US president picks on the weak and sucks up to the ruthlessly powerful. But those who have been watching him long enough know little has changed – and why.

Since Donald Trump took office in January, many Ukraine-watchers have been stunned by the US president’s extortionary tactics with regard to Kyiv.

First, he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a deal for extracting minerals, a deal that would essentially force Ukraine to repay with usurious rates what the Biden administration had offered as a gift. Then, when Zelensky came to Washington on Feb. 28, he was reprimanded for publicly making his case for real security guarantees and fact-checking Trump’s lies. As if the scolding weren’t enough, Zelensky was skewered by the US president and his henchmen for not being sufficiently obsequious.

The intense Russian-Ukraine exchange of drone attacks continues, with Ukraine hitting back.

Russia said Saturday it had downed 126 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly over its southern Volgograd and Voronezh regions, after Moscow rejected an immediate ceasefire proposed by the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that while he backed the idea of a truce with Ukraine, he had “serious questions” about implementation and wanted to discuss them with US leader Donald Trump.

Sidebar Stories – In the vein of “literature is news that stays news,” Kyiv Post presents some not necessarily factual narratives that offer added insight into Ukraine’s realities.

Valya reached for the pocket of her parka and the little sculpture of the wild horse. She ran her fingers along its shape – across its face, forehead, crest, shoulders, back, hindquarters, and four legs – and took reassurance from its presence.

Behind her seat in the truck travelling westward, there were all the other works of the Great Artist. As curator of the commemorative museum in the Great Artist’s home village, Valya and her handyman, Vadym, had packed all the art in bubble wrap and placed it in some five dozen cardboard boxes. She had felt like they were suffocating the paintings, sculptures, drawings and jewelry pieces as they layered on the plastic and secured it with packing tape. Nothing had been spared or left behind.

Making limited headway on the battlefield, Russia appears to be preparing for the next stage – elections – by attempting to push as many of its people into the Ukrainian parliament as possible.

Pro-Russians Ukrainians who had fled to Russia are suddenly becoming more visible again.

Might they be able to return to Ukraine after the Russo-Ukrainian War ends? Will they have a chance to steer the country back toward the Kremlin? Kyiv Post investigates.

A platform with diplomats and honorary consuls for regional projects has been created in Ukraine’s most crucial port city to encourage foreign investment.

On March 13, Oleh Kiper, head of the Regional Administration of Odesa, inaugurated the “Diplomatic Club” of the Region.

The inaugural meeting was organized to improve dialogue, share experience, and develop international projects, opening new opportunities for business and cultural cooperation in the region. The event took place at the Union Palace, one of the port city’s most elegant venues for cultural events.

For the second time in a week, the city of Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown, suffered an air attack, with 14 injured, including 2 children.

As a result of a missile strike by the Russian army on Kryvyi Rih on Friday night, 14 people were injured, including 2 children, according to Governor of the Dnipropetrovsk, Serhiy Lysak.

“A one-story building of an entertainment facility was destroyed due to a missile attack in the city. Infrastructure was damaged, more than a dozen apartment buildings and 10 private houses, 2 educational and sports facilities. Shops, a pharmacy, a beauty salon, a coffee shop, and cars were damaged. 14 people were injured, including two children,” he noted.

The Ukrainian president points out that Putin, despite agreeing to a ceasefire “in principle,” is already setting conditions that would drag the war on in the hopes of frustrating US negotiators.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Vladimir Putin was sabotaging diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine, over the Russian leader’s response to a US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

“He is now doing everything he can to sabotage diplomacy by setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions right from the start even before a ceasefire,” Zelensky said in a post on X.