EN
EN
EN
Stay on top of Russia-Ukraine war 03-25-2025 developments on the ground with KyivPost fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated war maps.
Meanwhile, a White House statement confirms that the US has pledged to assist Russia with agricultural exports.
The Kremlin has outlined the results of recent US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, stating that Moscow will only agree to safe navigation in the Black Sea if sanctions are partially lifted.
According to the Kremlin, under an agreement between the US and Russian presidents, the two sides committed to implementing the “Black Sea Initiative.”
The negotiations also resulted in an agreement to impose a complete ban on strikes against the energy infrastructure of both Ukraine and Russia.
Ukraine and the United States have agreed on measures to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, with a clear warning that any movement of Russian military vessels beyond the eastern part of the sea will be seen as a violation of the agreement.
Ukraine and the US held bilateral technical consultations in Riyadh focused on the security of energy and critical infrastructure, safe navigation in the Black Sea, and the release and return of Ukrainian prisoners and children.
The Russian Foreign Minister claimed that Moscow was open to resuming the Black Sea grain deal, subject to US guarantees.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated that the possibility of restoring the Black Sea Grain Initiative was discussed during Monday’s Russian-US talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to Russia’s Channel One, he said Moscow requires “clear guarantees” before agreeing to revive the deal.
Stefan Korshak, Kyiv Post’s military correspondent, shares his perspective on recent developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
As we expected, Germany in a major shift of historical scale, decided to re-arm and become the engine of European military independence.
Ukraine will get a piece of that directly but the real significance is that the European security structure dating back to the end of World War II is in its death throes. Even if the United States reverses its stance towards Europe and Russia, I can see no future in which America is not eventually a marginal player in European defense.
This precision strike was not only a tactical success – it was a strategic signal that even aircraft behind the border are vulnerable.
This week it got the first – from Berlin. Two more needed.
Europe’s triple challenge requires a triple bazooka in response.
If Europeans have finally not just heard the wake-up call but actually got out of bed – and that remains a big if – it will be because of the cumulative impact of three geopolitical shocks:
It’s not too late for the program to be saved, a former official said of the unit.
Two former senior State Department officials overseeing Ukraine policy on Tuesday raised alarms over the potential shutdown of a vital Yale University unit that has played a key role in gathering evidence on Russian war crimes in Ukraine, as the program will run out of funding this weekend.
“The Humanitarian Research Lab is running out of money Friday, and there haven’t been any discussions whatsoever on a temporary funding plan to prevent it from closing its Ukrainian operation,” former officials told Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent on condition of anonymity.
The discussions between Russian and American negotiators in Riyadh lasted more than 12 hours and ended without any public statements regarding a truce.
The United States and Ukraine held brief talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, a day after US-Russia negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine concluded without any breakthroughs.
“The talks are over. All details will be announced later,” a Ukrainian source told a small group of reporters, including AFP, shortly after the meeting began.
Russia and its ally Belarus have been banned from holding international sporting competitions since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, while their flags and anthems are banned from most world events.
Italian deputy premier Matteo Salvini said Tuesday he would like to see Russian and Ukrainian athletes compete at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics next year, if their countries have stopped fighting.
The leader of the right-wing League party, a junior partner in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government who has responsibility for infrastructure, was speaking at the inauguration of the Winter Olympics bobsleigh track in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Children present at the school were sheltering in a protective structure during the attack and now they are being evacuated.
[Updated at 15:37, March 25]: As of Tuesday, March 25, efforts to mitigate the aftermath of Monday’s missile strike in Sumy are ongoing. The Sumy Regional Military Administration has reported that the number of victims has risen to 101, including 78 adults and 23 children.
“Currently, 14 adults and 16 children remain hospitalized. One adult and one child are in stable serious condition,” the statement reads.
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.
Students rallied against the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a sixth night on Monday. The detention of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Wednesday sparked the largest wave of street demonstrations Turkey has seen in more than a decade and deepened concerns over democracy and the rule of law. The demonstrations began after Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s March 19 arrest and have since spread to more than 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, sparking clashes with riot police and drawing international condemnation. Police have arrested more than 1,130 people over the past six days, including 43 on Monday night, the interior minister said. Among them are journalists, including an AFP photographer. Imamoglu, 53, of the opposition CHP party, is widely seen as the only politician capable of defeating Turkey’s longtime leader President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the ballot box. In just four days he went from being the mayor of Istanbul – a post that launched Erdogan’s political rise decades earlier – to being arrested, interrogated, jailed and stripped of the mayorship as a result of a graft and terror probe. - France 24
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Monday advised Britons against “all travel to parts of Turkey” due to the growing unrest in Istanbul and other Turkish cities over the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu last week. The foreign office warned that the demonstrations “may become violent” and that the local police have responded by using tear gas and water cannons.“Large demonstrations continue to occur outside diplomatic missions connected to the conflict in major cities, particularly Israeli diplomatic missions in Ankara and Istanbul,” the foreign office said, urging Britons to avoid all demonstrations and leave the area if one develops - The Independent
Due to a growing shortage of barrel artillery, Russia has increasingly turned to the self-propelled guns such as the Koksan, which were supplied by North Korea.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have destroyed another North Korean-made M-1978 “Koksan” self-propelled gun (SPG) in the Donetsk region, marking the fifth such strike in a month, the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Force reported on Telegram.
In the video, attached to the report, soldiers from the 413th “Raid” Battalion “detected and disabled” the long-range SPG in the Donetsk sector. The Koksan is equipped with a 170-mm cannon capable of firing up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) with standard rounds and 60 kilometers (37.5 miles) with rocket assisted ammunition - making it one of the longest-range artillery pieces in Russia’s arsenal.
European nations are working on plans to secure a potential ceasefire in Russia’s war on Ukraine, which could include the deployment of a peacekeeping force.
The prospect of deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine under a United Nations mandate is “very hypothetical” at this stage, the UN’s peacekeeping chief said on Tuesday.
European nations are working on plans to secure a potential ceasefire in Russia’s war on Ukraine, which could include the deployment of a peacekeeping force.
Ukraine’s first airborne early warning and control aircraft to be delivered once Kyiv’s F-16s get Link-16 tactical network mods – allowing the Vipers to engage enemy aircraft before they are targeted.
In an interview with the Lithuanian military issues website Delfi a Swedish Ministry of Defense spokesperson said that the transfer of the two Saab 340 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft – also known as the ASC890 – that was announced by its defense minister Pål Jonson last May, was on schedule.
The spokesperson confirmed “The delivery dates for the ASC890 are linked to the availability of certain F-16 fighter modifications.” This refers to the upgrade of Kyiv’s F-16AM fighter aircraft with the Link-16 tactical network capability.
Clients want to buy hryvnia bonds again, Eurobond prices slide without significant progress in negotiations, hryvnia is weakening. Weekly Insight for March 24.
The increase in yields for UAH bonds incentivized investors to increase bids in the primary market, allowing the MoF to increase borrowings via UAH military bills significantly.
Total demand for UAH-denominated military bonds reached almost UAH15bn last week, more than in the previous six weeks combined. Some of the yields on bids were above the cut-off rates in the previous auction, and the ministry refused to change the rates for these instruments.
Kyiv Post salutes Belarus and the defenders of its independence and liberty on this special day.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya marked Belarus Freedom Day with a call for unity and resistance against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
In a statement on X, Tsikhanouskaya said that this day symbolizes “unity, courage, and hope” for Belarusians, paying tribute to political prisoners, exiles, and those fighting for the country’s independence and dignity.
While Russia “talks peace,” technical experts discover that Moscow is scaling up its production of drones and user training indicates that it plans far from peaceful deployment.
The findings of a study conducted by several technical analysis centers and human rights organizations, which examine the activities of Russian state structures in the occupied territories, were recently presented in Kyiv. It focused on Russia’s recruitment of young people to both its military industry and armed forces within these territories.
The alarming conclusions of the study indicate that rather than preparing for peace Russia is continuing the training of military specialists on an ever-expanding scale. Within the occupied territories it is forcing Ukrainians to join up, repurposing schools and industrial infrastructure, and integrating the militarization of children into school curricula. Included in this Moscow plans to train more attack drone operators over the next five years than it currently has infantry soldiers.
Latest from the British Defence Intelligence.
In a rare bipartisan agreement, Republicans are pressing the Trump administration to seize frozen Russian funds. Perhaps because that would put pressure on Europe, which controls the lion’s share.
A bipartisan group of US senators is urging the Trump administration to push for the transfer of more than $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, rather than using only the interest from those funds to support Kyiv.
The US, under the Biden administration, had already passed the REPO Act as part of its 2024 aid package, which would allow the $7 billion controlled by the US to be given to Ukraine. Since then, both the Biden and Trump administrations have balked at implementing the act due to resistance posed mostly by European allies.
On Monday, RFE/RL made its case in a US District Court challenging the Trump Administration’s decision to close it down.
On March 24, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia held a hearing on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) emergency request for $7.5 million in funds that Congress appropriated for its operations in March but that the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) had failed to provide. RFE/RL also requested that the Court halt USAGM’s March 15 direction that RFE/RL close out its operations.
Shortly before the hearing, USAGM notified the Court that it will take immediate steps to disburse the $7.5 million, equivalent to two weeks of operations. However, the hearing went forward to determine whether to grant RFE/RL a temporary restraining order to forestall closing out its operations.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov said delegates had reported back to Moscow, and the results “are being analyzed,” adding that contact with the Trump administration would continue.
Moscow refused to share any specific outcomes of the 12-hour Riyadh talks with the Trump administration on a partial ceasefire with Ukraine, saying that “the contacts were technical.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti on Tuesday that Moscow was “analyzing” the results of talks, adding that the details “will not be made public.”
More Europeans than ever think their country has benefited from EU membership, but more have low expectations for the years ahead, a new Eurobarometer poll shows.
A new Eurobarometer survey shows that Europeans have high expectations from the EU in its role of protecting them against global challenges and security risks. Large majorities are looking for an EU that protects them by focusing on security, defense, and the economy.
There is wide agreement among EU citizens that EU Member States should be more united to face current global challenges and that the European Union needs more means to deal with the challenges ahead.
The Ukrainians are counting on Russian obstinance to win back the Americans, the author writes.
We are in the early stages of the weirdest geopolitical moment in 80 years. And we are three years into the cruelest assault on democracy in 75 with Russia fighting with extreme intensity Ukraine’s civilizational choice (and centuries-long longing for independent cultural and political status against the Russian empire in four different forms).
The Ukrainian government has agreed to the ceasefire terms of the Trump Administration, effectively taking a big risk given recent American actions appearing to prejudice the argument and the public terms of this deal and the implied peace negotiations to follow against the Ukrainians by appearing to use Russian demands at every turn as the minimum requirements of a deal.
Belarus tightened control over young men in April 2024 with Law No. 363-Z, expanding military commissariats, KGB, and police powers. Databases merged, marking all males 17+ as “potential conscripts.”
HRWF (19.03.2025) - Thousands of young Belarusians are unaware that they are already under the tight control of the Belarusian military system. It knows their names, addresses, phone numbers, parents, weaknesses, and fears. It waits for them to grow up—then it comes for them.
Control over Belarusian young men has been in place for a long time, but in April 2024, Law No. 363-Z finally transformed the country into a military machine. The powers of military commissariats, the KGB, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs were expanded, and their databases were merged. Now, every male from the age of 17 is marked as a “potential conscript.”
The duty-free trade regime with the EU ends on June 5. Ukraine has warned the EU it should delay renewing it, otherwise it might disrupt the country’s economy.
Ukraine warned that the European Union should not hesitate in renewing the Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM) accord, otherwise the country would lose a large amount of foreign currency revenues that it uses to fund its military.
The policy suspending import duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports to the EU, also known as “the free trade regime,” was extended by the European Union for the period from June 6, 2024 until June 5, 2025.
The “Family 800+” programme has become a contentious topic in the presidential race.
WARSAW - The government is preparing a draft law, expected to be revealed before the general election, that would link child benefit payments to parents’ employment and tax contributions in Poland. This development follows presidential candidate Rafał Trzaskowski’s proposal on the matter.
The Polish government’s “Family 800+” program, which gives families 800 zlotys (€192) per month for each child, has become a major topic in the presidential race. This is especially true when it comes to Ukrainian recipients, who are the largest group of foreigners in Poland.
President Donald Trump is pushing for a rapid end to the three-year war and hopes the latest round of talks in the Saudi capital will pave the way for a breakthrough.
A Russian negotiator said on Tuesday that Moscow would continue “useful” talks with the United States over the Ukraine conflict and would aim to involve the UN and other countries.
“We talked about everything, it was an intense dialogue, not easy, but very useful for us and the Americans,” Grigory Karasin, told the state TASS news agency, adding that “lots of problems were discussed”.
President Trump has taken on the role of a mediator, and President Zelensky has accepted his leadership. But if Europe and Ukraine are to assume responsibility for their security, now is the time.
President Trump deserves considerable credit for his efforts to end the conflict and find compromise in the context of Ukraine’s survival. As Golda Meir once said, “To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be, or you don’t be.”
President Biden understood this and recognized Ukraine’s historical concerns about agreements among great powers that would come at a high cost to Ukraine. He, therefore, coined the statement, “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
New negotiations on a ceasefire are underway in Saudi Arabia. First, negotiators from Ukraine and the US met, followed by a meeting between Russian and US representatives.
New negotiations on a ceasefire are underway in Saudi Arabia. First, negotiators from Ukraine and the US met, followed by a meeting between Russian and US representatives.
Path to peace a complex process
The meeting came just one day after Kremlin and White House officials met for 12 hours to discuss key security issues, with Moscow refusing to share any specific outcomes of the talks.
[UPDATES] As of noon Kyiv time on Tuesday, a second round of talks between Ukraine and the US in Saudi Arabia has ended, a source in Kyiv’s delegation said Tuesday.
“The talks are over. All details will be announced later,” the Ukrainian source told a small group of media, including AFP.
Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.
Key Takeaways from the ISW:
Prosecutor’s office counts 604 murdered children, the UN tally is even higher. “Their rights have been violated in all aspects of life,” says UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Office of the Prosecutor General reported on Monday that the number of Ukrainian children killed since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion has now passed the 600 mark, standing at 604.
On Friday, the United Nations Human Rights office put the number a bit higher, at 669, decrying “large-scale human rights violations and incredible suffering to millions of children.”
National Security Adviser includes editor of ‘The Atlantic’ in a group Signal chat, planning a bombing of Yemen. Russia has tried to hack the same type of encrypted texts between Ukrainian officials.
The editor-in-chief of US magazine ‘The Atlantic’ said he couldn’t believe his eyes when he received a group text from President Donald Trump’s national security team, outlining the strategy for bombing Houthi rebels in Yemen hours before it happened.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had created the group on the Signal app and inadvertently included the editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, along with the intended “Principals Committee” members, which included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance, and more than a dozen other high-level officials with top secret and specialized access security clearances.
“The issue of the Black Sea Initiative and all aspects related to the renewal of this initiative is on the agenda today,” Kremlin spokesman said. Details are expected to be released Tuesday.
A meeting between Russian and US officials on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine ended after 12 hours of negotiations in Saudi Arabia on Monday, Russian state media reported, with a joint statement expected the following day.
With Ukrainian negotiators waiting nearby, a day after they sat down with the US team, the Americans and Russians met in Riyadh with a Black Sea ceasefire top of the agenda.
