Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 03-05-2025

In an address to the nation, Macron said the French were “legitimately worried” about the start of a “new era” after Trump began his second stint in the White House by reversing policy on Ukraine.

President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday announced he would discuss extending France’s nuclear deterrent to European partners and raised the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to enforce a peace deal, as Europe scrambles to respond to Donald Trump’s upending of the transatlantic alliance. 

In an address to the nation, Macron said that the French were “legitimately worried” about the start of a “new era” after Trump began his second stint in the White House by reversing US policy on Ukraine and risking a historic rupture with Europe.

The Trump administration said earlier it had “paused” intelligence sharing with Ukraine, days after announcing it was also suspending military aid.

Kyiv announced on Wednesday that it plans to hold new talks with US officials after Washington stopped sharing intelligence, dealing another setback to Ukraine as it continues to fight Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Over the last days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been working to manage the fallout from Trump’s public confrontation with him in the Oval Office on Friday, after which the US President cut the meeting short, claiming that the Ukrainian leader is “not ready” for peace with Russia.

Gas production in Ukraine has decreased by 3.5% – down to 19.1 billion cubic meters with Ukrainian oligarchs’ companies suffering the biggest losses during full-scale war.

Ukrainian private gas companies have reduced production by 32% during the full-scale war, while state-owned companies experienced only a 6% drop. The key reason is the gas export ban imposed in June 2022, which has been extended into 2025, Forbes Ukraine reported. 

Over more than three years of Russia’s full-scale war, Ukraine’s gas production has dropped by 3.5% – to 19.1 billion cubic meters.

Corrie Nieto delves into the US pause in military aid and what might come next

If the White House has prepared the pretext for abandoning Ukraine, and the Europeans appear to be prepared to provide little more than words of support, then Ukraine must again rely on itself.

The heated argument between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House has rattled the world. A narrative is emerging that Zelensky “blew his shot” for peace – first by claiming last week that Trump lives in a “disinformation sphere,” and now by arguing with the American president and vice president in front of cameras. The argument goes that due to Zelensky’s inability to restrain himself and placate Trump, the offended administration will now abandon Ukraine to its fate of Russian domination. But this narrative ignores several important facts:

1) Zelensky is responsible for representing the interests of Ukrainians and cannot afford to sign an onerous mineral deal without gaining any political concessions or guarantees from Washington. His persistence and insistence on American security guarantees or “backstop” was not “overplaying his hand,” as some have claimed, but his best efforts to achieve something to bring back to his war-weary public. Without a security guarantee framework, the Ukrainians have no reasonable assurance against future Russian hostilities and no incentive to lay down their arms. If the Ukrainians wanted a deal to surrender four oblasts to the Russian Federation and give up their NATO aspirations without any security guarantees, they could easily secure that from Russia, without the help of the Americans.

While Trump positions himself closer to Russia, the American public remains largely in agreement that Russia, not Ukraine, is to blame for the war.

The majority of Americans reject the idea that Ukraine is “more to blame” for Russian aggression, with 70% disagreeing and only 7% supporting this view, while US President Donald Trump has halted military aid to Kyiv.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll reveals that 70% of Americans – including three-quarters of Democrats and two-thirds of Republicans—believe Russia bears more responsibility than Ukraine for starting the war.

Merz, a longtime Atlanticist who had previously baulked at financing public spending through large-scale debt, has quickly changed his tune given the head-spinning pace of events.

Germany is set to rearm in a way not seen since World War II after likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government would vastly increase defense spending.

Conservative Merz and his probable future coalition partners from the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) said Tuesday they wanted to ease Germany’s strict constitutional “debt brake” to boost the defense budget by hundreds of billions of euros over the next years. 

In a lengthy statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry declared that the country was ready to “fight to the end”

[Updated at 18:51]: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the US is “prepared” to go to war with China, following Beijing’s threats in response to President Trump’s steep new tariffs.

Speaking on Fox & Friends, as reported by the New York Post, Hegseth directly addressed China’s claim that it was “ready to fight” any “type of war,” saying, “We’re prepared.”

Trump suspends military aid to Ukraine, demanding peace talks and confidence-building measures. Zelensky’s willingness to negotiate is seen as a “positive step.”

US President Donald Trump has temporarily suspended military aid to Ukraine, with the possibility of restoring support if peace talks are arranged and confidence-building measures are implemented, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz confirmed on Wednesday.

Reacting to a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressing his willingness to engage in negotiations, Waltz called the message “a good, positive first step,” as per Reuters.

The Kremlin sees Minsk as the best venue for Russia-Ukraine-US peace talks, Peskov said, backing a proposal made by the Belarusian PM.

Moscow considers Minsk the best location for potential trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on Prime Minister Alexander Lukashenko’s proposal to host peace negotiations in the Belarusian capital between the three countries.

Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his country is under US and European sanctions over its support for Russia’s military action in Ukraine and a government crackdown on the opposition. Russia used Belarusian territory to send some troops into Ukraine in 2022.

After three years of defending itself against Russian aggression, Ukraine has shored up its defenses against cyberattacks. NATO countries are watching and learning from Ukraine’s experience.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it also ushered in a new era of warfare – one where cyberattacks were no longer a supporting act but a core component of battlefield operations. This was the world’s first full-scale cyberwar, where digital operations were synchronized with kinetic strikes to disrupt, disable, and disorient the enemy. For three years, Ukraine has defended itself not only on the battlefield but also in cyberspace, repelling relentless Russian cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, telecommunications, and military systems.

From the outset, Russia’s cyber offensive sought to cripple Ukraine’s essential services and disrupt military communications. Russian hackers launched large-scale attacks against Ukraine’s power grid, government networks, and telecom providers. One of the most damaging strikes came in the early hours of the invasion, when they targeted Viasat’s KA-SAT satellite network, aiming to disrupt Ukraine’s command and control systems. The attack had a spillover effect, impacting thousands of civilians across Ukraine and Europe, knocking out internet access.

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 Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Tuesday offered a course of action that he said could end the war, while trying to assure the Trump administration that his government was dedicated to peace. “Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be,” Mr. Zelensky wrote on X. “It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right.” The Ukrainian leader said he was ready to release Russian prisoners of war, stop long-range drone and missile strikes aimed at Russian targets, and declare a truce at sea immediately — moves that he said would help establish a pathway to peace. Only, however, “if Russia will do the same,” he added. In his post, Mr. Zelensky offered effusive praise for American support, noting specifically “the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins.” “We are grateful for this,” he wrote. “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer,” he added. “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”

Instant analysis: Volodymyr Zelensky did what he had to do for Donald Trump and the US-Ukraine relationship: bend over backwards for the American president. However, the temporary suspension of U.S. military aid to Ukraine is still on. Mr Trump continues to praise Russia, but said “no one wants peace more than the Ukrainians.” What he doesn’t realize is that no one doesn’t want peace more than the Russians. It’s Vladimir Putin who’s being disrespectful of Mr Trump by escalating the war: overnight Ukrainians endured one of the most violent nights since the war began - with almost 200 drones and a handful of ballistic missiles targeting Ukrainian cities - including Odesa, Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv.

Trump has also blocked the UK from sharing intel with Ukraine, per the reports. Experts warn the move could impact Ukraine’s defenses against Russia.

[Updated at 15:00]: CIA Director John Ratcliffe has stated that the US has paused both weapons shipments and intelligence sharing with Ukraine following the Oval Office meeting.

White House correspondent Edward Lawrence quoted Ratcliffe on X, reporting that the CIA director “looks forward to lifting the pause and working with Ukraine towards peace following the letter to POTUS.”

The administration reportedly urged Ukraine to resume negotiations on a rare earth metals deal as soon as possible – preferably before Trump’s address to Congress.

US President Donald J. Trump relegated Ukraine and the world’s biggest and bloodiest conflict since World War Two to near-footnote status in a Tuesday speech to Congress – and what he did say was short on specifics and, at times, stemming from factual errors.

The roughly hour-and-40-minute address set a new record for a Presidential speech to Congress, beating out Bill Clinton’s State of the Union address on Jan. 23, 2000, at 1 hour and 28 minutes.

The administration reportedly urged Ukraine to resume negotiations on a rare earth metals deal as soon as possible – preferably before Trump’s address to Congress.

Top officials from the Trump administration held secret discussions with President Volodymyr Zelensky and his team in an effort to repair relations following a tense Oval Office meeting, CNN reports, citing sources.

Trump’s special representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, was among those involved in the talks. The administration urged Ukraine to resume negotiations on a rare earth metals deal as soon as possible – preferably before Trump’s address to Congress.

Zelensky said Tuesday he was “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer” amid an unprecedented rift between Ukraine and key ally, the United States.

The Kremlin on Wednesday called it “positive” that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared himself ready for talks on ending the three-year conflict with Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said Tuesday he was “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer” amid an unprecedented rift between Ukraine and key ally the United States.

US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky clashed over Russia’s war against Ukraine on live TV at the White House on Friday. Commentators see a historic turning point.

US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky clashed over Russia’s war against Ukraine on live TV at the White House on Friday. Trump and his vice president JD Vance called on Zelensky to show more willingness to make concessions in the search for a peace deal and more gratitude for US support. Zelensky stressed that it was Russia that was violating treaties. Commentators see a historic turning point.

Door still open for a deal

The US president read from a “letter” he said he received from the Ukrainian president on Tuesday – but his quotes are identical to a social media post Zelensky made earlier in the day.

US President Donald Trump claimed during Tuesday’s address to Congress that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent him a “letter” to affirm Kyiv’s readiness for a security agreement – but it appears that Zelensky made the same word-for-word statements in a social media post hours before Trump’s speech.

“Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelensky of Ukraine,” Trump told lawmakers on Tuesday night before saying he would quote the “letter.”

It comes after Zelensky called for a “truce” in the sea and sky as a first step to ending the war with Russia as he sought to lower the temperature after Friday’s White House bust-up with Trump.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he would address the nation Wednesday over the current global uncertainty in the wake of the radical change in US policy on Ukraine under Donald Trump.

“My dear compatriots -- I will address you tonight at 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) at this moment of great uncertainty when the world is facing its greatest challenges,” Macron wrote on X, announcing his first such address since Trump stunned the world with his foreign policy changes.

China may join Russia’s war in Ukraine, seeking combat experience as its envoys are spotted in occupied territories.

[UPDATES] As of 13:45, Ukraine’s Center for National Resistance (CNS) approached Kyiv Post and stated that this information is no longer relevant. The corresponding article on the institution’s website has also disappeared.

China is likely negotiating with Russia over its potential involvement in combat operations in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the Center for National Resistance (CNS) reported on Tuesday, March 4.

“China seeks to gain combat experience in a way similar to North Korea,” the CNS stated.

Days after their tense White House clash, Trump said that Zelensky is ready for talks with Russia and to sign a US minerals deal. Kyiv seeks to restore dialogue with Washington.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Volodymyr Zelensky informed him Kyiv is ready for talks with Russia and to finalize a US minerals deal, just days after their tense White House meeting.

These statements come days after a tense and public confrontation between Zelensky and Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, after which the US President cut the meeting short, claiming that the Ukrainian leader is “not ready” for peace with Russia.

British PM Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron may visit Washington with Zelensky to push a peace plan, while Starmer seeks US security guarantees for a potential peacekeeping force.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are prepared to travel to the United States alongside Volodymyr Zelensky to present a potential peace plan.

According to Daily Mail sources, Starmer and Macron could visit Washington as soon as next week with Zelensky to demonstrate a united front on the peace initiative before US President Donald Trump.

Russia has been increasing its drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, even as discussions about possible peace talks continue in Washington and Moscow.

Russia carried out night-time attacks on energy facilities in Odesa, a region in southern Ukraine, officials said on Wednesday. The attack damaged critical infrastructure, cutting off electricity, water, and heat in parts of the Black Sea region.

Emergency services described the damage as “large-scale” and shared images of firefighters battling the flames.

Lukashenko is a close Putin ally, and his country is under US and European sanctions over its support for Russia’s military action in Ukraine and a government crackdown on the opposition.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offered in an interview published on Wednesday to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks that could involve US officials.

“Tell (US President Donald) Trump that I expect him here with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky,” Lukashenko proposed in a video interview with US blogger Mario Nawfal reported by state news agency Belta.

In his address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump slammed President Joe Biden’s handling of the August 2021 exit, calling it a “political disaster,” without mentioning his pivotal role in the debacle.

US President Donald Trump claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin felt emboldened to invade Ukraine after witnessing the Biden administration’s “chaotic withdrawal” from Afghanistan.

In August 2021, the US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year war. The withdrawal was chaotic – the Afghan government collapsed, the Taliban quickly took control, and thousands of people rushed to Kabul airport, desperate to flee.

President Zelensky noted that Ukraine has been getting mixed signals for weeks and pointed out that aid was also paused in January before being quickly restored.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has instructed his officials to seek official clarification from the United States regarding reports of a suspension of military aid.

Speaking to Ukrainians on the streets of Kyiv late Tuesday night, March 4,  Zelensky said that Ukraine and America “deserve a respectful dialogue.”

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• US President Donald Trump ordered a pause on US military aid to Ukraine on March 3, suspending the delivery of critical warfighting materiel.
• The United States had been providing Ukraine with artillery ammunition, armored vehicles, towed howitzers, Patriot air defense batteries, and long-range rocket and missile systems such as HIMARS and ATACMS — many of which are sophisticated systems that only the United States can supply.
• The frontline in Ukraine does not risk imminent collapse, but the effects of the US aid pause will become more acute over time.
• The European Commission proposed a plan on March 4 that would enable EU member states to increase defense spending to support Ukraine and strengthen European security. European rearmament is vital for Europe’s short- and long-term security, and Europe should pursue these efforts regardless of the status of US aid to Ukraine.
• Ukraine has significantly expanded its defense industrial production capabilities throughout the war in an effort to eventually meet its military needs independently, but Ukraine’s ability to become self-sufficient in the long-term is contingent on continued support from partner states in the short- and medium-term.
• The Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated on March 4 Ukraine’s commitment to work with the Trump Administration to achieve a sustainable and lasting peace in Ukraine.
• The high casualties in Russia’s war in Ukraine are the direct result of Putin’s determination to conquer all of Ukraine using horrific and costly tactics, and Putin can dramatically reduce this killing any time he chooses.
• The Kremlin continues to express cautious optimism about the pausing of US military aid to Ukraine and advanced several narratives as part of efforts to impose additional demands on the United States.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Lyman, and Pokrovsk and in western Zaporizhia Oblast, and Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk.
• The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) is reportedly developing a plan to partially demobilize a limited number of mobilized personnel no earlier than July 2025, likely to address growing societal backlash over the lack of rotations and demobilization of Russian mobilized troops for over two years.

In a speech to Congress, Trump underlined his expansionist vision of the US, as he repeated his aspirations to take Greenland and claimed an initial victory on retaking control of the Panama Canal.

President Donald Trump urged Greenland on Tuesday to choose to join the United States but vowed to take the Danish-ruled island “one way or the other” – whatever the locals decide.

In a partisan speech to Congress, Trump offered only passing lines on world affairs, focusing on his domestic goals like rounding up undocumented immigrants and slashing government spending.

Stocks of the biggest Ukrainian companies continue to drop as Donald Trump has paused US military aid to Ukraine.

Stocks of Ukrainian companies listed on the London and Warsaw stock exchanges continue to fall after a 15.3% drop on March 3, 2025, following the dispute between Ukraine and the United States, Interfax-Ukraine wrote. 

After US President Donald Trump announced that he pauses financial aid to Ukraine, the stock price of the iron ore company Ferrexpo dropped by 9.59% as of 9:26 p.m. Kyiv time (EET, UTC+2) on Tuesday, LSE data showed.

In a tumultuous presidential address to a special joint session of Congress, with dissenting legislators forcibly removed, US President says only that Zelensky is ready for peace.

Arriving to chants of “USA! USA!” on the Republican side of the aisle, and irate eruptions from the Democratic one, US President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night in what was, by all accounts, one of the more raucous addresses to the legislature in American history.

Ukraine featured only briefly in his speech, conspicuously lacking news of the reported agreement reached on a minerals deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that had been teased in the press earlier in the day. He noted only that Ukraine was grateful for Trump’s “strong leadership.”