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Skip next section Zelenskyy appoints negotiators for ceasefire talksMarch 15, 2025
Zelenskyy appoints negotiators for ceasefire talksUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed a team of negotiators to participate in potential ceasefire talks, his office said.
The head of Zelenskyy’s office, Andrii Yermak, has been named the chief negotiator.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Yermak’s deputy, Pavlo Palisa, have also been selected for the delegation.
The four Ukrainian officials met with a US delegation in the United States in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last week, after which Kyiv agreed to Washington’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Moscow.
https://p.dw.com/p/4rp51
Skip next section Latvia confirms participation in ‘coalition of the willing’March 15, 2025
Latvia confirms participation in ‘coalition of the willing’Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said that Riga was ready to participate in the UK’s proposed “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine.
She said that Latvia was one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine and emphasized the need to strengthen the eastern flank of the NATO military alliance.
Silina made the comments following a virtual summit hosted by Britain.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the summit in order to put together a “coalition of the willing” that could take part in peacekeeping operations in Ukraine.
https://p.dw.com/p/4roxp
Skip next section Germany’s Scholz calls on Russia to work for a just peaceMarch 15, 2025
Germany’s Scholz calls on Russia to work for a just peaceFollowing Saturday’s UK-hosted summit on Ukraine, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Russia to pave the way to a just peace in Ukraine more than three years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
“It is now up to Russia to put an end to its daily attacks against Ukrainian cities and civil infrastructure and to finally take the way of a lasting and just peace,” Scholz said in a statement quoted by a spokesman.
Scholz welcomed Ukraine’s readiness to sigh up to the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the US earlier this week.
He also stressed the leading role played by US President Donald Trump in efforts to achieve “a possible truce and permanent peace for Ukraine.”
The statement said that Germany stood “steadfastly” at the side of Ukraine.
According to the spokesman, Scholz affirmed that “Germany will continue to support Ukraine in close coordination with European and international partners for as long as it takes to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4rorj
Skip next section Additional US military aid package has arrived — PolandMarch 15, 2025
Additional US military aid package has arrived — PolandSaim Dušan Inayatullah
Another package of US military aid has arrived in Ukraine, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said, according to Poland’s PAP news agency.
“There is complete unity in continuing support for Ukraine,” he said during a press conference following a UK-led video summit on support for Kyiv.
He also confirmed the resumption of US intelligence-sharing with Kyiv.
Much military aid earmarked for Ukraine passes through a US military base in the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszow.
Kosiniak-Kamysz’s statement comes after Washington suspended aid and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine. The US then resumed both after Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposal following talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
https://p.dw.com/p/4rorr
Skip next section Italy not planning on sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, says MeloniMarch 15, 2025
Italy not planning on sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, says MeloniItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (left) reiterated Rome’s refusal to send peacekeepers to UkraineImage: Toby Melville/AP/picture allianceItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that her country is unlikely to send any troops to Ukraine to monitor a potential ceasefire.
“The prime minister confirmed that Italy intends to continue working with European and Western partners and with the United States to define credible and effective security guarantees,” the Italian government said in a statement following a virtual summit hosted by Britain.
“National participation in a possible military force on the ground is not envisaged,” the statement read.
Meloni’s participation in the meeting had been in doubt amid Italy’s previously stated misgivings about UK and French plans for sending peacekeepers to Ukraine.
https://p.dw.com/p/4rone
Skip next section Zelenskyy seeks ‘clear position’ on security guarantees for KyivMarch 15, 2025
Zelenskyy seeks ‘clear position’ on security guarantees for KyivUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has urged international allies taking part in a UK-hosted summit on Saturday to give “a clear position” on security guarantees, including about a potential deployment of foreign peacekeepers on Ukrainian soil with a US backstop.
“We need to continue working on the contingents that will form the foundation of Europe’s future Armed Forces,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“Peace will be more reliable with European contingents on the ground and the American side as a backstop,” he added.
He also called for continued “pressure on Russia” in order for Moscow to accept a ceasefire agreement.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said a “coalition of the willing” would help secure Ukraine “on the land, at sea and in the sky” if a peace deal with Russia goes through.
The United States has balked at providing Kyiv with specific security guarantees, insisting instead on a rare minerals deal that would give the US an economic interest in Ukraine.
https://p.dw.com/p/4roqP
Skip next section Dutch PM Schoof calls for continued pressure on Russia to negotiateMarch 15, 2025
Dutch PM Schoof calls for continued pressure on Russia to negotiateDutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on Saturday it was crucial to maintain pressure on Russia to sign up to a ceasefire deal with Ukraine that has been put forward by the US.
“It is now important to continue to exert pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table,” said Schoof in a post on X after a UK-hosted meeting with other world leaders aimed at shoring up support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.
Schoof said there was “broad agreement” at the meeting to continue military and financial support for Ukraine.
He said the ceasefire proposal, which Ukraine has supported, gave hope.
But he said Europe would also work hard on new sanctions on Russia.
https://p.dw.com/p/4rolZ
Skip next section UK’s Starmer condemns Russian ‘delay’ on ceasefire dealMarch 15, 2025
UK’s Starmer condemns Russian ‘delay’ on ceasefire dealBritish PM Keir Starmer is seeking to put the UK at the center of European initiatives on Ukraine despite it not being an EU memberImage: Leon Neal/Pool Photo/AP/picture allianceBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign up to a ceasefire deal put forward by the US, saying the Kremlin’s “dithering and delay” and “continued barbaric attacks” on Ukraine belied the Russian leader’s stated desire for peace.
He made the comments at the end of a virtual meeting with some 30 world leaders.
Starmer said the leaders had stressed “the need for strong monitoring arrangements to ensure that any violations of a deal are identified and called out,” referring to a potential ceasefire agreement with Russia.
He also said an international military meeting would take place in the UK on Thursday “to put strong and robust plans in place to swing in behind a peace deal and guarantee Ukraine’s future security.”
Around 30 leaders — whom Starmer has dubbed “the coalition of the willing” in indirect recognition of the fact that some European states, notably Hungary, are ambivalent in their support for Ukraine — took part in the call.
They included European partners such as French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with leaders from Australia, Canada and New Zealand and officials from NATO and the European Commission.
The United States was not represented at the meeting, which came as fears rise in Europe that the Trump administration is drawing back from its decadeslong commitment to the continent’s security.
https://p.dw.com/p/4rokO
Skip next section EU’s von der Leyen calls on Russia to support ceasefire March 15, 2025
EU’s von der Leyen calls on Russia to support ceasefire European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday that Russia should back a ceasefire deal with Ukraine that could lead to an enduring peace.
In a message posted on X, formerly Twitter, after a UK-hosted virtual meeting with other European leaders, von der Leyen said: “We reiterate our support to Ukraine’s agreement to a ceasefire. Now Russia has to show that it is willing to support a ceasefire leading to a just and lasting peace.”
She said until that happened, Europe would continue helping Ukraine militarily, while building up European defense through the “ReArm Europe” proposal she has put forward, which envisages European countries putting together a package of €800 billion ($874 billion) for military spending.
https://p.dw.com/p/4rogs
Skip next section Ukraine confirms its troops’ retreat from Sudzha March 15, 2025
Ukraine confirms its troops’ retreat from Sudzha The Ukrainian General Staff has confirmed that its troops are retreating from the town of Sudzha in the Russian region of Kursk, using a map to clarify the withdrawal.
An accompanying report stated only that there had been 20 skirmishes in the Kursk region on Friday, with Russia carrying out 19 airstrikes, dropping 28 bombs and firing 232 artillery shells.
On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Moscow’s forces had retaken the small town from the Ukrainian troops who had held it for more than seven months after staging a surprise incursion into Russia in August.
The town was considered Kyiv’s most important conquest in the region, while the incursion itself was considered a psychological boost for Ukrainians as their country fights against the Russian invasion of its territory.
https://p.dw.com/p/4rofT
Skip next section Zelenskyy rejects claims of Kursk ‘encirclement’March 15, 2025
Zelenskyy rejects claims of Kursk ‘encirclement’Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has denied that Ukrainian troops have been encircled by Moscow’s forces in Russia’s Kursk region, a claim made by the Kremlin that has been repeated by US President Donald Trump.
“There is no encirclement of our troops,” Zelenskyy said on social media, adding: “Our troops continue to hold back Russian and North Korean groupings in the Kursk region.”
The Ukrainian leader added that the situation near the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, where invading Russian forces have recently made slow advances, had stabilized,
But he warned that Russian troops were gathering across the border from Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.
Ukrainian forces staged a daring incursion into the Kursk region in August and had seized some 100 settlements there before a growing Russian counteroffensive, involving the deployment of allied North Korean troops, during which some have been recaptured.
https://p.dw.com/p/4robQ
Skip next section Germany’s Baerbock calls on US to help keep peace if Ukraine truce establishedMarch 15, 2025
Germany’s Baerbock calls on US to help keep peace if Ukraine truce establishedBaerbock called for both European countries and the United States to give Kyiv security guaranteesImage: Sebastien St-Jean/AFPGerman Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has stressed the importance of US assistance in maintaining peace in Ukraine should a ceasefire deal be reached.
“The US, as the biggest military power in the world, are the best guarantee for peace in Europe,” she told the German website web.de.
At the same time, however, she said that Europe also had to give security guarantees along with the US.
“These guarantees are stronger the more countries join in,” she said. “That is why we need the Americans.”
Baerbock also expressed the opinion that the Americans needed “us Europeans — because they cannot exist in the world on their own,” particularly if China, Russia, Iran and North Korea join forces against them.
She also warned against underestimating Russia’s territorial aggression.
“Our peace in Europe is at stake,” she said.
Baerbock said that she would never have imagined at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine how Kremlin propaganda could take root even in liberal democracies such as Germany, including the claim that Russia is the victim of Ukrainian and Western aggression rather than the other way around.
https://p.dw.com/p/4roTx
Skip next section Starmer urges fellow leaders to keep up pressure on PutinMarch 15, 2025
Starmer urges fellow leaders to keep up pressure on PutinBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told some 25 fellow world leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin would at some stage have to start discussing establishing peace in Ukraine after the conflict unleashed by his more than three-year-long full-scale invasion of that country.
“My feeling is that sooner or later, he’s going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussion,” Starmer told about 25 fellow leaders during a virtual summit.
Starmer told the participants that the meeting would focus on three points: “strengthening Ukraine, being prepared to defend any deal ourselves through a coalition of the willing and keeping that pressure on Russia at this crucial time.”
“We have to keep pushing ahead, pushing forward and preparing for peace, and a peace that will be secure and that will last,” he told the summit.
He said Ukraine had shown its willingness for peace and that Russia was the one preventing it.
“Putin is the one trying to delay … if Putin is serious about peace, I think it’s very simple, he has to stop his barbaric attacks on Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire, and the world is watching,” he said.
Among other things, Starmer aims to persuade the leaders at the summit to sign up to a coalition willing to protect any eventual ceasefire in Ukraine by sending peacekeepers if necessary.
https://p.dw.com/p/4roQI
Skip next section Russia says it has retaken two more Kursk villagesMarch 15, 2025
Russia says it has retaken two more Kursk villagesRussia’s Defense Ministry has said its troops have taken control of two more villages in the Kursk border region where Ukrainian forces had seized some 100 settlements amid an incursion launched in August.
The ministry said the villages of Zaoleshenka and Rubanshchina were now once more under Russian control.
The news comes after Russia announced earlier in the week that it had retaken the main town of Sudzha.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that time was running out for Ukrainian troops in Kursk and that an offer made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to spare their lives if they surrendered would not stand indefinitely.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated that the Ukrainian army would have to withdraw from the region.
“The situation is very difficult. I can only thank our fighters for this operation, which has fulfilled its task,” he told journalists.
However, several independent sources have said that Russia’s claim to have encircled Ukrainian troops in Kursk, which had been repeated by US President Donald Trump, is false and that Kyiv’s forces are carrying out an orderly retreat.
https://p.dw.com/p/4roOk
Skip next section Overnight aerial attacks continue unabated amid ceasefire negotiationsMarch 15, 2025
Overnight aerial attacks continue unabated amid ceasefire negotiationsRussia and Ukraine both carried out aerial attacks on each other overnight to Saturday, despite the ongoing deliberations over a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire.
The attacks come less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow to discuss details of the ceasefire amid Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down 126 Ukrainian drones.
Of these, 64 were destroyed over the southern Volgograd region, it said. It said drones were also shot down over the Voronezh, Belgorod, Bryansk, Rostov and Kursk regions.
The governor of the city of Volgograd, the region’s administrative center, confirmed that debris from drones had caused a fire in the Krasnoarmeysky district of the city close to a Lukoil oil refinery but gave no further details.
Ukraine’s air force said Saturday that Russia had sent 178 drones to attack the country overnight, with 130 shot down and 38 more losing their way and missing their targets, which is often a consequence of electronic jamming operations.
It said the attacks deployed a mixture of Shahed-type attack drones and imitation drones that are meant to confuse air defenses.
Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, said the air strikes had damaged its energy facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, leaving some households without power.
Russia has carried out a series of massive aerial attacks on Ukraine in the more than three years of its invasion, many of them targeting the country’s energy infrastructure.
https://p.dw.com/p/4roLX
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