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Russia has lost 916,770 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on April 1.
This number includes 1,540 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,505 tanks, 21,856 armored fighting vehicles, 42,646 vehicles and fuel tanks, 25,552 artillery systems, 1,347 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,123 air defense systems, 370 airplanes, 335 helicopters, 31,462 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on March 31 to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil exports if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not "make a deal" to end the war in Ukraine.
"I want to see (Putin) make a deal, so that we stop Russian soldiers and Ukrainian soldiers and other people from being killed," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I want to make sure that he follows through, and I think he will. I don’t want to go secondary tariffs on his oil. But I think, you know, it’s something I would do if I thought he wasn’t doing the job."
Trump's comments on Russia come just a day after Trump told NBC News that he was "pissed off" and "very angry" regarding Putin's fixation over the Russian president's latest demand for a transitional government that would replace President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump previously threatened to impose additional tariffs against Russia, threatening a "25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil."
U.S. and Russian trade is at an all-time low due to sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other Western allies due to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. The Trump administration has been expanding diplomacy with Moscow, however, and has said it is open to exploring a trade partnership.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on March 31 that Trump has "expressed displeasure" with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders amid efforts to secure a ceasefire in the full-scale war.
During his press conference in the Oval Office, Trump also expressed frustration with ongoing efforts to reach a minerals deal with Ukrainian officials.
"I haven’t spoken to (Ukrainian officials) yet, but through you, I heard that they now say, ‘Well, I’ll only do that deal if we get into NATO or something to that effect. Well, that was never, number one, discussed. Number two, I think it’s going to be very — long before Putin, they said you’re not going into NATO," Trump told reporters.
“That’s probably the reason the war started, actually,” Trump said, repeating Kremlin narratives that justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
On March 31, a source in Ukraine's Presidential Office told the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine's NATO membership is not a part of the discussion around the minerals deal.
"We are not tying (the minerals deal to NATO), it's a misunderstanding," the source said.
Russia has lost 912,490 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on March 29.
The number includes 1,740 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,478 tanks, 21,796 armored fighting vehicles, 42,398 vehicles and fuel tanks, 25,451 artillery systems, 1,345 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,122 air defense systems, 370 airplanes, 335 helicopters, 31,234 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on March 27 that it was premature to expect higher-level talks with Russia as the U.S. reviews Moscow's response to efforts to end the war in Ukraine, AFP reported.
Asked if the time was right after U.S. negotiations with Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, Rubio said: "I think you have to make more progress on a technical level."
The U.S., Russia, and Ukraine agreed to "eliminate the use of force" and prevent commercial vessels from being used for military purposes in the Black Sea following two-day talks in Saudi Arabia.
"There's a lot of work to be done with both sides, particularly with the Russian side, which we haven't talked to for years," Rubio said, adding the White House would hold consultations on the outcome of the meetings.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his intention to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin since taking office. On March 18, the two leaders held a 1.5-hour phone call.
Rubio's comments follow Trump's March 25 statement that Russia may be "dragging their feet" on ending its war against Ukraine.
Trump has reversed Washington's stance toward Moscow by engaging in talks with Russian officials, a move the Biden administration has avoided since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. has been mediating negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war. Ukraine has already agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire, announcing on March 11 that it is ready to implement the measure if Russia reciprocates.
The U.S. State Department announced on March 27 that it would provide short-term funding to an initiative documenting Ukrainian children abducted by Russia after White House terminated the program, Reuters reported.
The program, run by Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab under the State Department's Conflict Observatory, used biometric data and satellite imagery to track Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children.
At least 19,500 Ukrainian children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion, with only about 1,200 returned, according to Ukraine's Children of War database.
Yale's research — funded by the U.S. government — has helped track thousands of these cases.
Researchers reportedly lost access to the database last month after officials terminated the contract, cutting off critical evidence for war crimes investigations.
A State Department spokesperson said the short-term funding would allow program implementers to ensure that essential data on abducted children is properly transferred to the relevant authorities.
"It is part of the standard close-out procedures for terminated programs," the spokesperson said.
The comments come amid U.S. President Donald Trump administration's efforts to cut various agencies and initiatives, including foreign aid, calling it "waste, fraud, and abuse."
The multiple cuts to foreign funding have begun to affect international efforts to hold Russia accountable, including for war crimes committed in Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 17, 2023, for the deportation of Ukrainian children.
As part of ongoing U.S.-Russia negotiations, U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Walz said that returning kidnapped Ukrainian children is among several "confidence-building measures" being discussed.
Ukrainian officials have named their return as a key condition for any future peace agreement with Russia.
Russia has lost 910,750 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on March 28.
The number includes 1,860 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,455 tanks, 21,762 armored fighting vehicles, 42,280 vehicles and fuel tanks, 25,387 artillery systems, 1,344 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,119 air defense systems, 370 airplanes, 335 helicopters, 31,070 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
As French President Emmanuel Macron hosts another Ukraine-centric summit in Paris on March 27, the main question remains open — can Europe, and France as one of its leaders, keep embattled Kyiv afloat when the U.S. walks out?
Addressing the nation on March 5, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France, and Europe, need to prepare to face Russian threats without support from the U.S.
"Faced with this world of danger, remaining a spectator would be madness," the French president said.
On March 26, Macron announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion).
"We must continue to provide immediate support to Ukraine — it is necessary in order to keep up the resistance," Macron said, standing next to President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Elysee Palace.
The package included anti-tank missiles, air defense systems, Mirage fighter jet missiles, armored vehicles, ammunition, and other aid, Macron said.
The French leader has toiled to place France at the tip of the spear in the hopes of leading Europe's defense. Yet, as it stands now, Macron's flurry of diplomatic efforts is yet to show results, with the continent unable to muster up a concrete plan on rearmament, peacekeepers in Ukraine, and a unified stance toward the increasingly aggressive U.S.
Over the past weeks, President Macron has shown an increasing desire to solidify the support for Ukraine, and rebuild European defenses, still heavily reliant on unpredictable Washington.
France has shown "awareness that it is necessary to reach out to non EU partners in order to create a sort of critical mass of countries that could be interested in developing a common approach to the defense of Europe," Antonio Missiroli, former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, told the Kyiv Independent.
Crucially, France has also changed its position on working with the United Kingdom, Europe's only other nuclear power.
"This is a Franco-British initiative which aims to provide security guarantees to Ukraine when a peace deal is agreed, through the deployment of troops to Ukraine," officials from the Elysee Palace told reporters.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer chat ahead of a plenary meeting at a summit held at Lancaster House on March 2, 2025 in London, U.K. (Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The officials were eager to highlight that France's diplomatic efforts appear to have paid off, with 31 countries expected to attend the "coalition of the willing" meeting in Paris.
While it may be preparing for the U.S. to abandon its European allies, France is also working in parallel to avoid it, relying heavily on the personal relationship between President Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump.
"I believe that Emmanuel agrees with me on many of the important issues," the U.S. president said during Macron's visit to Washington in late February, seen by many as a successful diplomatic overture by the French leader.
"There is an acute awareness around President Macron that it is important to try and keep some line of communication with the Trump administration open in order to avoid shock events and developments," Missiroli said.
While diplomatic efforts seem to be in full swing, whether or not they will lead to concrete action remains to be seen.
Despite the apparent warmth and endless handshakes between Trump and Macron, the U.S. position remains that Europe, not the United States, should be the guarantor of lasting peace in Ukraine.
The meeting in Paris will focus primarily on nailing down those European security guarantees for Ukraine, should an end to Russia's full-scale invasion be negotiated without Europe.
This previously included a potential commitment to send a so-called reassurance force to Ukraine to deter any further Russian aggression.
"If Europeans had to deploy a serious reassurance force to Ukraine, they would have to deploy all their best forces, and then they would remain undefended at home," Missiroli said.
Despite the public commitment from Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to send troops to Ukraine in case of a firm ceasefire, the actual deployment of troops is seen as increasingly unlikely.
Missiroli added that most European militaries have planned, trained, and prepared themselves to operate within a NATO framework, which assumes American support.
"It would be extremely difficult for Europeans simply to transpose these capabilities outside of NATO without an American backstop, some sort of logistical communications intelligence support from the United States. So if the question is, would Europeans be able to fill in for American disengagement overnight, the answer will probably be no."
Even with American logistical support, troop numbers in France, the U.K., Germany, and other European powers have dwindled significantly in recent years, putting into question the feasibility of a peacekeeping mission.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Czech Republic's Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, (Middle row L-R) Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Romania's Interim President Ilie Bolojan, (Front row L-R) Finland's President Alexander Stubb, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk pose for a family photograph at Lancaster House during the European leaders' summit on March 2, 2025 in London, U.K. (Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"In order to put a force of 10,000 British soldiers out there, you've got to have 30,000 in the pipeline, either recovering or training. And it's a long-term commitment. This is not a six-month tour and then home for tea and medals. This is potentially years. So I think there are real question marks about that," General Sir Richard Shirreff, former deputy supreme allied commander Europe, told the Kyiv Independent.
Beyond troop numbers, Europe may also struggle to reduce its reliance on American weaponry, at the very least, doing so may take years.
"European systems sometimes compete with American ones and sometimes are slightly less advanced, but they are still highly relevant technologies," Olivier Schmitt, head of research at the Institute for Military Operations at the Royal Danish Defense College, told the Kyiv Independent.
"Europe has all the technological bricks and knowledge required, but the issue is mostly spending and production. Some capability gaps (such as in space-based assets) could take as much as ten years to fill in the U.S. absence."
Macron has also invited fellow European leaders to explore if and how France's nuclear arsenal could be deployed to deter Russian aggression against the rest of Europe. He also announced that the country's largest air base would be modernized so it can house nuclear weapons.
Poland and Germany have both signaled a desire to engage in discussions about France's nuclear umbrella for fear that American nuclear guarantees to Europe may soon be withdrawn.
"Even combining British and French nuclear capacity, I don't think is enough to deter," Estonia's former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves told the Kyiv Independent. "What would be important is to have those weapons in countries like Poland so the delivery becomes much more realistic and feasible, and since no one wants to use them, it would have a far greater deterrent effect."
The U.K. and France, the only two European nuclear powers, have 515 nuclear warheads, and only France has the ability to deploy its nuclear weapons both by sea and air.
In comparison, the United States has 1,750 warheads, and Russia boasts 1,570. Both countries are able to deploy these weapons by land, sea, or air.
EU can do it, too
In the meantime, Macron has played a role in revving up the European Union's famously sluggish institutions to face the task at hand.
"France has moved very swiftly in order to encourage the EU institutions to do as much as possible to create additional incentives for member states to invest in defense," Missiroli said.
"Some of the initiatives that have been presented recently by Ursula von der Leyen on behalf of the Commission go in that direction."
Those initiatives include a 150 billion euro ($161 billion) fund from which member states can borrow to spend on collective European defense and a loosening of EU debt rules to allow member states to borrow more to spend on military production.
While France is unlikely to use these mechanisms itself, European officials told the Kyiv Independent that at least 20 EU countries almost certainly will.
A fundamental challenge for France, and other European countries, will be finding the money to pay for this ramping up of European defense.
European officials told the Kyiv Independent that one of the reasons why France will not use the EU schemes to borrow more money, is that the government is worried about the country's already huge debt burden and Macron's domestic struggles.
The French president has said the money cannot come from raising taxes.
"Difficult decisions will have to be taken by what is now a very weak (French) government, a minority government, tolerated by some oppositions in order to shift resources from other areas of public spending onto defense," Missiroli said.
To deliver on a flurry of promises made to Ukraine and other European states and revolutionize European defense before the country's 2027 presidential election, Macron would need to find more money and more will to do so.
Ukrainian forces will fight even with "their bare hands" if they do not receive conditions acceptable for lasting peace, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said during a U.S. Senate hearing on March 25.
"I want to say that with regard to the Ukrainian resistance, the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian military have been underestimated for a period of several years now," Ratcliffe said.
"From my reflections in observing, from an intelligence standpoint, I'm convinced that they will fight with their bare hands if they have to, if they don't have terms that are acceptable to an enduring peace."
The statement comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire and a broader peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
Ratcliffe said that Trump is seeking to end the war under conditions that will ensure a lasting peace. He added that the CIA has taken steps to support Trump's diplomatic efforts.
In a deal brokered by the U.S., Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to a ban on strikes targeting energy infrastructure in both Ukraine and Russia. In addition, the belligerent parties agreed to "eliminate the use of force" and prevent commercial vessels from being used for military purposes in the Black Sea.
The U.S. and Ukraine initially backed a broader 30-day ceasefire during talks in Jeddah on March 11, which included halting ground operations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Washington's broad proposal during a call with Trump on March 18, demanding conditions that would weaken Ukraine's defense, including a suspension of foreign military aid.
Ukraine expects the partial ceasefire covering the Black Sea and energy infrastructure strikes to take effect on March 25, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
In turn, Russia declared on March 25 that the Black Sea ceasefire would only take effect after Western sanctions on Russian food producers and exporters are lifted.
Ukraine and Russia may see a greater incentive to prolong war instead of settling for an unfavourable peace deal, an unclassified U.S. intelligence assessment published March 25 found.
According to a report by U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the leaders of Ukraine and Russia "for now probably still see the risks of a longer war as less than those of an unsatisfying settlement,” Bloomberg reported.
The intelligence assessment, presented at the Senate Intelligence Committee, falls in contrast with U.S. President Donald Trump's ambitions to quickly negotiate and secure a peace deal — as soon as by Easter.
Following discussions between the U.S. and Russia in Saudi Arabia, the two countries agreed on March 25 to implement a ceasefire in the Black Sea and a ban on strikes against energy infrastructure.
The Kremlin later issued a statement on March 25, stating that the ceasefire in the Black Sea will take effect only after Western sanctions on Russia's Rosselkhozbank and other financial organizations involved in supporting international food trade operations are lifted and have their connection to the SWIFT messaging system restored.
President Volodymyr Zelensky later accused Russia of manipulating the conditions it has set out in order to secure a Black Sea ceasefire agreement.
The intelligence report notes that both leaders likely understand the risks of a prolonged war, including continued economic disruptions for Moscow caused by sanctions that could harm Russia, including through "undesired escalation with the West"
According to the assessment, a protracted war would also impact Kyiv's standing on the battlefield, as well as potentially its future negotiating position.
As Russia continues to slowly gain territory in eastern Ukraine, "conceding territory or neutrality to Russia without substantial security guarantees from the West could prompt domestic backlash and future insecurity,” the report notes.
The report also assess that the war "will lead to a gradual but steady erosion of Kyiv’s position on the battlefield, regardless of any U.S. or allied attempts to impose new and greater costs on Moscow," from Western allies.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said that it is his commitment to end Russia's war in 2025, even suggesting that he was ready to step down as president if it means “peace for Ukraine."
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced on March 25 that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is a Russian facility and cannot be transferred to Ukraine or any other country. The ministry also ruled out the possibility of joint operation, arguing that ensuring the plant’s physical and nuclear safety would be impossible.
Moscow claims control over the plant based on its illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions in September 2022, including Zaporizhzhia (where Ukraine controls the regional capital, as well as in Kherson Oblast), following staged referendums with residents forced to vote at gunpoint.
The Kremlin falsely claimed that 98% of the population supported joining Russia and proceeded to declare annexation without any legitimate basis. Ukraine and Western countries have dismissed the referendums as fraudulent.
"The return of the station to Russia’s nuclear sector has been a fait accompli for quite some time," the ministry said on March 25. "Transferring the Zaporizhzhia plant to the control of Ukraine or another country is impossible."
Russian forces captured the plant early in the full-scale invasion. Although the plant is no longer generating electricity, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog maintains monitors at the site, as it does at all Ukrainian nuclear facilities.
The facility has been repeatedly disconnected from Ukraine's power grid due to Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure. Moscow has ignored calls to relinquish control of the facility.
Ukraine continues to demand the plant’s return to its jurisdiction and rejects Russia’s claim over its territory.
During a recent phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that the United States could help operate and possibly own Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.
Three employees from Russian state-affiliated media were killed in occupied Luhansk Oblast while on assignment, several news outlets reported on March 24. The victims included Izvestia correspondent Alexander Fedorchak, as well as Zvezda TV cameraman Andrei Panov and driver Alexander Sirkeli.
Izvestia announced that Fedorchak died while reporting from the front lines. The journalist often covered Kharkiv and Luhansk oblasts as well as Russia's Kursk region. "His last report was broadcast literally the day before," the newspaper said.
Originally a Soviet state newspaper, Izvestia is now owned by the National Media Group (NMG), a media conglomerate with significant state-controlled ownership and close ties to the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Zvezda, a channel linked to Russia’s Defense Ministry, said two of its crew members were killed when their vehicle was struck.
Russia’s Investigative Committee launched an investigation into the incident, saying that the journalists were killed in Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast. Leonid Pasechnik, Moscow's proxy leader in Luhansk, claimed the attack occurred in the Kreminna district, also killing three civilians.
The incident occurred as Ukraine and Russia held talks with the United States regarding a possible partial ceasefire. Russia has intensified its assaults on Ukraine’s civilian areas over the past weeks.
Russia is pushing to gain full control over four occupied Ukrainian oblasts—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—during negotiations with the United States in Saudi Arabia, the Moscow Times reported, citing sources familiar with the Kremlin’s strategy.
Although Russian forces do not fully control any of these regions, the Kremlin demands them in their administrative borders, as defined in the Russian Constitution following their illegal annexation.
A Kremlin-linked official told the Moscow Times that Russia's President Vladimir Putin cannot afford to lose these territories politically, and Russia intends to solidify its grip on them at any cost.
"The Constitution has no mechanism for regions to leave Russia. We need all of Zaporizhzhia and all of Kherson," the official reportedly said.
The Kyiv Independent can't immediately verify these claims.
Another Russian government source suggested that Moscow hopes Washington might pressure Kyiv to withdraw entirely from the occupied regions.
"Either Trump convinces them to leave, or we are told to enter prolonged negotiations while simultaneously using military force to secure control. That would be the worst scenario for us since river crossings are always costly operations," the source added.
As an alternative, Russia may attempt to seize additional Ukrainian territory, such as parts of Dnipropetrovsk or Sumy oblasts, and then offer an exchange for Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, another Russian official speculated. "We hope to find a way that avoids storming Kherson or forcing a crossing of the Dnipro River. That would mean thousands of casualties for us," he admitted.
As of late 2024, Russian forces controlled about 98.5% of Luhansk Oblast and 60% of the Donetsk region.
Despite these challenges, Russian diplomats believe that a potential Trump administration may be indifferent to the exact borders of a future settlement.
"From what I understand, Trump wants a modern, well-armed, pro-Western Ukraine," a Russian diplomat told the outlet. "He cannot just hand over Ukraine entirely. But where exactly the border is drawn—that may not matter much to him."
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
A Russian missile strike that hit the northeastern regional capital of Sumy on March 24 injured 94 civilians, including 23 children, the Sumy City Council reported.
Most of the wounded residents have been transferred to local hospitals, according to the council.
The missile struck the city as the Russian and U.S. delegations met in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible ceasefire.
Russian forces launched the attack against residential areas and infrastructure facilities, including children's hospital, according to acting mayor Artem Kobzar. Overall, at least 30 high-rises, 15 private residences, and an unspecified number of warehouses, offices, and medical facilities were damaged in the attack, regional military administration reported.
Search and rescue operation continued until at least 10 p.m. local time and was paused for the night, State Emergency Service said.
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The aftermath of a Russian missile attack against Sumy, Ukraine, on March 24, 2025. (Sumy Oblast Military Administration/Telegram)
"Each day like this, every night under Russian missiles and drones, every single day of this war brings loss, pain, and destruction that Ukraine never wanted," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address. "The war was brought from Russia, and it is to Russia that the war must be pushed back. They must be the ones forced into peace. They are the ones who must be pressured to ensure security."
Zelensky said in mid-March that Russian troops have been gathering at the border, indicating plans to strike Sumy Oblast. "We understand this and will take countermeasures," he wrote.
Located just under 30 kilometers from the Russian border, the city of Sumy, as well as the surrounding region, has continuously come under attack since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Sumy Oblast borders Russia's Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said efforts to end the war in Ukraine are "somewhat under control" just hours before a massive Russian drone strike on Kyiv killed three people including a five-year-old girl and her father.
Speaking to the sports media outlet OutKick on March 22, Trump said he has had "very rational discussions" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I don't think there's anybody in the world that's going to stop (Putin) except me, and I think I'm going to be able to stop him," Trump told Travis during the interview on board Air Force One.
"We've had some very rational discussions, and I just want to see the people stop getting killed."
Just a few hours after the interview, Kyiv was hit by multiple Russian kamikaze drones, killing three people and injuring 10 others.
Trump has been promising a ceasefire in Ukraine since he took office in January but talks with Russia have so far yielded weak results.
On March 18, Moscow announced it had agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire on Ukrainian energy infrastructure following a call between Putin and Trump.
While the White House celebrated the partial ceasefire, dozens of civilians in Ukraine have been killed by Russian attacks since its implementation.
Trump told OutKick founder Clay Travis that he has a good relationship with both Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite a fiery exchange in the Oval Office last month that led to Zelensky walking out of the White House early without signing a deal for Ukraine's minerals.
U.S. negotiators are set to separately meet Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Riyadh on March 24 to discuss the ceasefire proposal.
Ukrainian officials told the Kyiv Independent that they are skeptical that the talks will lead to any substantial results. Until now, the Trump team has only held bilateral talks with each side separately, including meetings with Russia in Riyadh on Feb. 18 and Istanbul on Feb. 27, and with Ukraine in Jeddah on March 11.
Russia has lost 903,480 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on March 23.
The number includes 1,470 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,412 tanks, 21,636 armored fighting vehicles, 41,610 vehicles and fuel tanks, 25,048 artillery systems, 1,333 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,116 air defense systems, 370 airplanes, 331 helicopters, 30,495 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
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Dominic Culverwell
