These are the key developments on day 1,115 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Here is the situation on Saturday, March 15:
Fighting
- Russian President Vladimir Putin called for beleaguered Ukrainian troops in the Russian region of Kursk to “surrender”, saying that “if they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment”.
- Putin’s remarks were broadcast on Russian television hours after United States President Donald Trump said that “thousands” of Ukrainian troops were surrounded by the Russian military in Kursk, adding that he has “strongly requested” Putin to spare their lives.
- Ukraine’s General Staff denied again that its forces in Kursk were encircled by Moscow’s troops and said that any reports to that effect were “fabricated by the Russians for political manipulation and to exert pressure on Ukraine and its partners”.
- A Russian missile struck a residential area in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, injuring 11 people, including two children, the regional governor said. Kryvyi Rih is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown and has been the target of repeated attacks in Russia’s three-year full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
- Russian guided bombs struck a series of targets in Ukraine, including a residential area in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing one person, the regional governor said on Telegram.
- Near Ukraine’s Black Sea city of Odesa, Russian drones attacked the port of Chornomorsk, cutting power completely to the area’s residents, the regional governor said.
- Russian air defences downed four Ukrainian drones attacking the Russian capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. One drone damaged the roof of an apartment building a few kilometres from the Kremlin. Several other buildings were lightly damaged by drone fragments, but there were no injuries, according to emergency officials.
- A far-right anti-Russian activist was shot dead on a street in Odesa and a suspect has been arrested, Zelenskyy said on Telegram. The suspect, a 46-year-old man, was described as a “deserter” from the Ukrainian army. Police said, “We cannot rule out the possibility that this crime was committed on behalf of Russian secret services”.
Ceasefire
- Putin met with US envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss details of the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Moscow’s war on Ukraine, asking him to convey Moscow’s thoughts to Washington, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
- Trump said he was “being a little bit sarcastic” when he repeatedly claimed as a presidential candidate that he would have the Russia-Ukraine war solved within 24 hours – and even before he even took office. “Well, I was being a little bit sarcastic when I said that,” Trump said in a clip released in advance of a television interview to be broadcast on Sunday.
- In a speech at the US Department of Justice, Trump said that ceasefire negotiations with Russia were ongoing and praised his relationship with Putin, saying that the Russian leader “has respect for this country”. He again suggested that Ukraine was to blame for Russia’s 2022 invasion, saying, “You don’t want to pick on somebody that’s a lot larger than you.”
- United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Putin of not taking US-led attempts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine seriously.
- French President Emmanuel Macron in a post on X, also called on Moscow to stop its “acts of violence” in Ukraine.
- G7 foreign ministers warned Russia of new sanctions unless it accepted a ceasefire “on equal terms”, saying sanctions could include “caps on oil prices, as well as additional support for Ukraine, and other means”.
Politics and diplomacy
- European support for Ukraine will be discussed in a video conference with about 25 European Union and other world leaders, as well as Zelenskyy, on Saturday. Diplomatic sources said EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas is to propose that the 27-country bloc supply up to 40 billion euros ($43.5bn) in new military aid to Ukraine.
- The UK’s Starmer will urge leaders from the so-called “coalition of the willing”, which includes Europe, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, to make concrete commitments to support Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to accept a ceasefire during the video conference.
- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko is visiting North Korea, North Korean state media report.
- Russia and Venezuela announced plans to increase energy cooperation after Washington ordered US oil giant Chevron to pull out of the Caribbean country.
