EN
EN
EN
Stay on top of Russia-Ukraine war 03-04-2025 developments on the ground with KyivPost fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated war maps.
Fighting in the Kursk and Sumy regions has reached a new level of intensity.
Fighting in Russia’s Kursk region has now spread to the neighboring Sumy region in Ukraine.
On Friday, Feb. 28, multiple sources reported that Russian troops had entered Ukraine’s Sumy region while fighting against the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Le Pen’s reaction contrasts with her previous vow to block French weapons for Kyiv. She warns that the loss of US help in intelligence, technical assistance, and digital ops is even more problematic.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has condemned US President Donald Trump‘s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine, calling the move “very cruel” for Ukrainian soldiers fighting against Russia’s invasion, while stressing that the most critical elements of Washington’s help are in the form of intelligence, technical assistance, and cyber ops.
Speaking to Le Figaro, Le Pen, widely seen as the “natural” candidate for the Rassemblement National (RN) in France’s next presidential election, shifted her tone on Trump’s foreign policy.
Tapping into the Russian assets would help plug a massive gap in defense budgets as Europe rushes to plug a Ukraine defense gap as American support for Kyiv wavers under President Donald Trump.
As Europe scrambles to boost military aid to Ukraine, calls are intensifying to fund it by seizing tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian assets, in an issue causing tension between European allies.
France on Tuesday voiced opposition to seizing frozen Russian assets, arguing such a move would be against international agreements in a stance that puts Paris at odds with its ally Britain.
Stefan Korshak, Kyiv Post’s military correspondent, shares his perspective on recent developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
I had this great plan for a fun three-year retrospective in which I would thank you guys for all your support and then go back to my predictions over the years and try and figure out how well I’ve been batting.
But events in the form of a big in-front-of-media argument between Donald J. Trump and Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky have clearly overtaken that idea. Everyone and their distant relative is weighing in on how that nasty exchange of views will influence the course of the war.
Ukraine has modern air defense and mobile drone-hunting units, but without US support, maintaining and supplying Patriot missiles will be a major challenge, PM Shmyhal warned.
Without US support, serious issues could arise with the maintenance and supply of Patriot missiles, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday.
Using expensive missiles to destroy cheap drones is economically inefficient, so Ukraine is seeking a balanced approach in the war, Shmyhal said.
Their conversation came amid reports that the US has frozen military aid to Ukraine following the clash between Zelensky and Trump on Friday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone on Tuesday with Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany’s CDU party that recently won the Bundestag elections, to confirm continued cooperation between the two countries.
Their conversation came amid reports that the US had frozen military aid to Ukraine following the White House blowout between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
A Russian SU-35 fighter jet on Sunday reportedly maneuvered dangerously around a French Reaper drone, which was on a surveillance mission in international airspace over the eastern Mediterranean.
France on Tuesday said a Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a French surveillance drone over the eastern Mediterranean, denouncing its “aggressive” behavior.
The announcement came as European countries are seeking ways to shore up defenses and help war-torn Ukraine after President Donald Trump ordered a suspension of US military aid deliveries.
Russian troops captured three villages in Kursk region, where Ukraine invaded six months ago. Kyiv troops were still holding ground gained in counterattacks over the weekend.
Combat along the Russo-Ukraine War’s 1,000+ kilometer (621+ mile) contact line on Tuesday saw intense fighting in sectors recently captured by Ukrainian assault troops, with Kyiv’s forces mostly holding their positions and claiming big casualties among attacking Russian troops, but Kremlin forces scoring gains in some locations.
A multi-pronged Ukrainian counterattack launched last week inside the city of Toretsk, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, gained more ground over the weekend and pushed Russian troops out of eastern districts.
The Ukrainian president didn’t apologize as senior US officials demanded, but he reiterated his gratitude for US support, signaled openness to the resources deal, and outlined steps to achieve peace.
President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a statement on Tuesday to outline Ukraine’s proposal to work towards a ceasefire with Russia and signaled Kyiv’s openness to sign a resources deal offered by US President Donald Trump.
Zelensky’s statement followed a disastrous meeting with Trump in the White House on Friday and Trump’s subsequent purported decision to suspend all military aid to Ukraine.
Russian diamond manufacturer Alrosa reported 26% losses in revenues due to sanctions and economic turmoil in Russia, but Russian media also reports Alrosa lost its key buyer – India.
Russia’s largest diamond producer reported almost a billion dollars in losses last year, representing a 26% drop in revenue from the year before.
Alrosa, the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds by volume, said it had unsold products worth $1.3 billion compared to the previous year – marking a 78% decrease in net profit since 2023.
Chuck Pfarrer, a former Squadron Leader for the US Navy’s SEAL Team Six, a New York Times Best Selling author and journalist delves into Russia’s shadow fleet.
Orban accused European leaders, who met in London over the weekend to rally around Kyiv’s defense, of having decided “that the war in Ukraine must continue.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he would meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, one day before an EU summit aimed at cementing joint action on support for Ukraine.
Orban’s announcement comes after US President Donald Trump ordered a suspension of US military aid deliveries to Kyiv, which strengthened fears in Ukraine and in many European capitals that America was pivoting away from its allies and toward Moscow.
Statements by the new US administration signal a deepening transatlantic chasm in the view of the Russian threat and the risk of an even deeper societal rupture of the values and nature of democracy.
This is the second part of a two-part op-ed. For the first part, go here.
In less than a month President Donald Trump has withdrawn the US from several international organizations and a legally binding treaty on climate change; temporarily stopped USAID at the peril of millions and ending a strategic soft power tool ensuring US global influence; launched sanctions against the ICC, eroding the international rule of law; started a trade war against the most important US trading partners; bullied allies; threatened land grab in three different regions and suggested ethnic cleansing.
They make a disaster and call it peace.
On Friday, Feb. 28, Vice President JD Vance disrupted the Trump-Zelensky Oval Office broadcast by denouncing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for his temerity in insisting on defending his country. According to Vance, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was caused by belligerent behavior by the Biden administration. And Zelensky’s “disrespectful” refusal to go along with a Trump-negotiated surrender now threatens world peace.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Trump has sought Putin’s help in negotiating with Iran, with US and Russian officials discussing the matter in Riyadh last month, Bloomberg reports.
Russia has agreed to assist US President Donald Trump’s administration in engaging with its ally, Iran, on its nuclear program and regional activities.
According to Bloomberg, citing sources in Moscow familiar with the matter, Trump personally raised the issue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a phone call in February, and top US officials followed up with Russian counterparts at talks in Saudi Arabia days later.
After signaling an openness to deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine, Ireland is now working towards a legislative change to remove UN Security Council approval as a prerequisite to deploy troops overseas.
Ireland has secured Cabinet approval on Tuesday to scrap the country’s “triple lock” mechanism to deploy troops overseas.
The proposal came after Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin reportedly signaled an openness to deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine upon meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 28.
In a recent video, US volunteers from the Khartiia Brigade criticized Trump for berating Zelensky during their White House meeting on Friday and turning the US away from Ukraine and towards Russia.
Volunteers from the United States fighting for Ukraine in the 13th National Guard Brigade “Khartiia” have criticized the attitude of US President Donald Trump towards Volodymyr Zelensky after the American leader verbally attacked the Ukrainian president during their last meeting at the White House on Friday.
The US and Ukrainian presidents had a dispute on live TV that essentially led to the breakdown of negotiations on the so-called minerals agreement, which was supposed to be the first step toward ensuring the start of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
It comes after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week pledged to boost UK defence spending to 2.5 percent of the nation’s economy by 2027.
The UK government Tuesday vowed to cut red tape to quicken procurement of military equipment, as London and the European Union ramp up defence spending amid uncertainty over Ukraine’s future.
A government statement promised a review of defence contract rules “to incentivise faster delivery” of equipment from ships to munitions -- and to build on the lessons learned from Britain’s “rapid procurement of arms for Ukraine” during its three-year war with Russia.
Australia is the latest Western nation to voice an openness to deploying troops in Ukraine to enforce a peace deal, joining France, the UK, Ireland and other nations.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese voiced his support for Ukraine on Tuesday and said Canberra is “open to consideration” regarding troop deployments as part of a peace deal.
Albanese’s comments followed British Keir Starmer’s call on Sunday for a “coalition of the willing” of nations to jointly provide long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, including troop deployments.
Contrary to US and European reports, Ukrainian PM Shmyhal said the country is still receiving US military aid and aims to fully cover its artillery needs with domestic production by the end of 2025.
Ukrainian officials say that they have not received any information from the US regarding a complete stop in military aid, countering several American and European reports that said the White House decided on Monday to halt all current and future weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said US aid to Ukraine continues, and all previously approved aid packages from the previous US administration have been delivered as planned, at a briefing in Kyiv on March 4, as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine.
Eurobond prices slightly increased after the weekend, but on Wednesday, they began to fall again. On average, Eurobond prices did not see change during the week. Weekly Insight for Mar. 3
Last week, the MoF sold a new 3.5-year paper for UAH10bn, which is expected to be designated as a new reserve bond soon.In the primary bond market, the MoF sold the usual military bonds for just UAH1.9bn and new 3.5-year notes for UAH10bn. New bonds maturing in August 2028 received over 3x oversubscription with interest rates not higher than 16%.
New bonds were the most traded in the secondary bond market, with a 23% share in weekly trading, pushing the total turnover up by 24% to UAH16.9bn. Almost 1/3 of trading was in UAH bonds maturing this year.Last week, the MoF redeemed the largest-ever bond issue of almost UAH41bn. The next redemption of UAH20.6bn is scheduled for 12 March.After last week’s redemptions and borrowings, the total rollover in all currencies fell to 71% YTD from 79% in January. Rollover of UAH debt fell to 71% from 140% in January.
Tusk has confirmed earlier reports saying that Washington had suspended all weapon deliveries to Ukraine, including those already in transit through the NATO hub in Poland.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed Tuesday that the US arms delivery suspension to Ukraine is visible in the logistics hubs used to transport weapons to Ukraine.
“We have no reason to believe that these are just words,” Tusk told reporters, according to AFP, adding that “reports coming in from the border, as well as from our [logistics] hub... also confirm the announcements made by the American side.”
If the US halts military aid, Ukraine’s forces can fight at the current pace for weeks, but deep strikes into Russia will suffer due to a lack of ATACMS.
If the United States halts military aid to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) will be able to sustain combat operations at their current pace for several weeks, possibly until summer, as reported on Monday, April 3.
“It is those sophisticated weapons – including the long-range ATACMS missiles – that have allowed Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory, a strategy that could suffer if those weapons remain paused,” reports say.
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.
President Trump on Monday temporarily suspended the delivery of all U.S. military aid to Ukraine, senior administration and military officials said. The order affects more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition in the pipeline and on order. It resulted from a series of meetings at the White House on Monday between The officials said the directive would be in effect until Mr. Trump determined that Ukraine had demonstrated a good-faith commitment to peace negotiations with Russia. Mr. Trump’s directive, which was reported earlier by Bloomberg News, also halts deliveries of equipment from Pentagon stockpiles as aid through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides funds that Kyiv can use only to buy new military hardware directly from U.S. defense companies. It was unclear what exactly Mr. Zelensky would need to do for Mr. Trump to resume the military assistance. Also unclear was whether Mr. Trump also directed officials to curtail intelligence sharing, although one senior official said it was still flowing — for now. But if the halt in deliveries went longer, Ukraine would lose its supply of some advanced weapons, including advanced air-defense systems, surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and long-range rocket artillery. The United States also provides Ukraine with parts, maintenance and technical support. Mr. Zelensky has said that cutting off military assistance would be a devastating blow but would not end the fighting - NYT
Ukraine Rada Foreign Affairs Committee chair Oleksandr Merezhko warns that Trump’s aid cutoff is aimed at forcing a capitulation of Ukraine to Russia.
Reuters violated a ban on filming sensitive objects during martial law when they set up a livestream camera in Kyiv’s central square without permission.
British news agency Reuters resumed its online broadcast from Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv on Tuesday, March 4, without official permission.
The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA), Timur Tkachenko, posted on Telegram: “No request for permission to broadcast was received. We have alerted the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine). The broadcast was promptly stopped.”
Speaking to BBC Radio, Rayner said that while the US decision was “a matter for them,” it would not affect Starmer’s commitment to seeking a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer remains “laser-focused” on securing peace in Ukraine despite US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend military aid to Kyiv, Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said Tuesday.
Speaking to BBC Radio, Rayner said that while the US decision was “a matter for them,” it would not affect Starmer’s commitment to seeking a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The story of how one Ukrainian intel soldier named “Khokhol” survived three days in enemy territory, sneaking through minefields to escape, return to his unit, and prove he was not dead.
For three days and two nights, he crawled through enemy territory, alone, wounded, and running on nothing but sheer will. Trapped between opposing forces, with bullets and shells flying overhead, he navigated only by sound – listening to gunfire, feeling the vibrations of explosions, and trusting his instincts.
He was officially listed as missing in action, presumed dead. Back home, his wife had already been told he was gone. His unit had started preparing his funeral.
The pause, announced on Monday, has gone into effect immediately and impacts hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry in the process of being sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported.
Russia said on Tuesday the suspension of US aid to Ukraine following a public clash between their leaders, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, was the best contribution to ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
The pause, announced on Monday, has gone into effect immediately and impacts hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry in the process of being sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported.
Elon Musk suggested offering Zelensky amnesty in a neutral country in exchange for “transition back to democracy in Ukraine,” after sharing a post that called the Ukrainian president a dictator.
American multi-billionaire and one of President Trump’s closest allies, Elon Musk, stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should be offered “amnesty” in a neutral country in exchange for “restoring democracy in Ukraine.”
Musk shared a post on his social media platform X from a pro-Trump blogger who called Zelensky a dictator. The blogger claimed that Zelensky is not interested in ending the war because it would mean the end of his power.
“ReArm Europe” could mobilise close to 800 billion euros of defence expenditures for a safe and resilient Europe.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen Tuesday presented a five-part plan to mobilise some 800 billion euros for Europe’s defence -- and help provide “immediate” military support for Ukraine after Washington suspended aid.
“A new era is upon us,” the European Commission president said in a letter presenting the plan to EU leaders, two days before a summit aimed at cementing joint action on support for Ukraine and European security longer term.
Trump’s decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine triggers strong reactions from Western leaders, who warn it strengthens Russia and threatens global security.
US president Donald Trump announced a decision to halt US support for Ukraine, increasing pressure on Kyiv to begin peace talks with Russia on Monday night.
The move follows a tense public exchange between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House just days earlier.
The pause has gone into effect immediately and affects hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry in the process of being sent to Ukraine, the New York Times reported.
US President Donald Trump has put military aid to Ukraine on hold, a White House official confirmed anonymously to AFP on Monday, intensifying pressure on Kyiv to negotiate a peace deal with Russia.
The decision follows the tense and public confrontation between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, after which the US President cut the meeting short, stating that the Ukrainian leader is “not ready” for peace with Russia.
He linked the minerals deal to the semiconductor industry, saying the US needs rare earth metals for chip production and other technology.
US President Donald Trump said the US minerals deal with Ukraine is still on the table and could be “a great deal” for America.
Speaking at an investment event alongside a representative from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Trump was asked whether the planned rare earth metals agreement with Ukraine was “already dead.”
Vance had needled Zelensky in the Oval Office uproar, challenging his approach and criticizing Ukraine’s war leader for not saying “thank you” to the United States.
US Vice President JD Vance expressed confidence Monday that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky would “eventually” agree to discuss peace with Russia, following his bitter Oval Office clash last week with Donald Trump.
In an interview with Fox News, Vance said Ukraine’s president conveyed “a lack of respect” during his televised White House meeting Friday with Trump and “showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process” sought by his US counterpart.
The statement, published on the Verkhovna Rada’s official website, also calls for a stronger partnership between Ukraine and the US, particularly in critical mineral exploration.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has issued an appeal to US President Donald Trump, Congress, and the American people, thanking them for their ongoing support during one of “the most challenging periods” in Ukraine’s history.
“The crucial importance of US support among other partners during the most difficult time for Ukraine,” the statement reads.
Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.
Key Takeaways from the ISW:
The number of damaged healthcare facilities rose by 36.7 percent in the last year. The World Bank now estimates total costs of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine to be about $524 billion.
The nation’s healthcare sector’s total needs for recovery and reconstruction over the next ten years have been estimated at about $19.4 billion, a statement from the Health Ministry said on Monday.
“Three years of full-scale war waged by Russia have caused significant damage to Ukraine’s healthcare system. According to the World Bank and EU estimates, the healthcare sector’s needs are now estimated at more than $19 billion. This figure is interim. However, it is clear that the healthcare system requires significant investments and their rational use,” said Health Minister Viktor Liashko.
White House says the speech will expound upon his “accomplishments” in his first weeks in office and “the president’s plan for peace,” but some Dems plan to skip his latest self-promotion.
Viewers around the globe might be hoping that the US president’s speech in front of Congress on Tuesday, themed “Renewal of the American Dream,” could give some answers on where he currently stands on Washington’s relationship with NATO and how much Donald Trump plans to bend to the Kremlin’s demands, especially as far as sanctions are concerned.
But, according to its billing by the White House on Monday, they should prepare themselves for more self-congratulations on the part of the president.
