This Week in the Russia-Ukraine War (March 21)

A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Political Developments

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call this week to discuss a ceasefire proposal for the conflict. While both sides issued statements suggesting an agreement had been reached, the readouts showed conflicting interpretations of the talks. Russia says it agreed to a moratorium on striking energy infrastructure, but nothing else — and Russia has continued aerial operations against Ukrainian cities this week. 

A full ceasefire would be tantamount to a ‘temporary breather’ for Ukraine, Russian negotiator Yuri Ushakov said earlier in March.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged world leaders to “keep the pressure” on Russia to support a ceasefire.

The Trump administration is considering recognizing Russia’s control of Crimea as part of its peace push for the war in Ukraine, Semafor reported this week, citing officials familiar with the idea. This proposal has not been confirmed publicly, though U.S. officials have been warning that Kyiv will have to accept territorial concessions as part of any negotiated settlement with Russia. Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014, but the capture of the peninsula has not be recognized internationally. 

Washington has toned down some of the political pressure on Moscow, as well, withdrawing support this week from a program aimed at documenting instances of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

Alongside its talks with Russia, the U.S. is continues to hold dialogue with Ukraine over the development of the latter’s resources. Washington and Kyiv have also held talks regarding Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure, officials confirmed this week, centering on a possible arrangement that would see the U.S. take control of nuclear plants to ensure security. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that the talks were only focusing on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was captured by Russia in the initial weeks of the 2022 assault.

French President Emmanuel Macron said it is not up to Russia to decide if Western peacekeeping forces should be sent to Ukraine, and that the decision rests with Kyiv.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, a skeptic of Ukraine, ruled out Slovakian participation in any future European deployment to Ukraine, saying on his Facebook page this week, “Slovakia will not participate in any military mission to Ukraine and will not allocate a single cent for military aid.” Kyiv halted gas transit to Slovakia on January 1, after taking the decision not to renew the transfer of Russian gas onwards to Europe.

Military Assistance to Ukraine

A proposed EUR40 billion ($43.3 billion) E.U. military aid package to Ukraine has been shot down by the economic bloc’s members, who couldn’t come to consensus on the multi-billion euro package at a summit this week. High Representative Kaja Kallas instead suggested the E.U. work on a smaller, EUR5 billion effort that will focus delivering 2 million rounds of ammunition to Kyiv.

Ukraine expects to take delivery of additional air defense missiles and artillery rounds from its Western allies, according an announcement from Kyiv.  Ukraine is expected to receive more missiles for its IRIS-T air defense systems, as well as for the NASAMS and SAMP/T.

The Ukrainian Army is receiving additional military assistance from Germany, including the delivery of three more Gepard anti-aircraft systems.  Kyiv has taken delivery of additional ammunition, including 5,000 155 mm and 2,000 122 mm artillery shells, and 8,000 120 mm mortar shells.

The U.S. has resumed sharing satellite imagery with Ukraine after the flow of intelligence was temporarily frozen amid heightened tensions between Washington and Kyiv. “In accordance with the administration’s directive on support to Ukraine, NGA has resumed access to the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery system, or GEGD, which is the primary portal for access to U.S. government-purchased commercial imagery,” the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency said in a statement.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has officially adopted WINFLY unmanned aerial systems.  The UAVs were developed by Ukrainian manufacturers.  The quadcopters are reportedly based on different types of airframes and equipped with engineering solutions that increase the safety of crews during combat missions.

Ukraine has unveiled a new cruise missile with a range of over 600 miles.  This missile is capable of reaching Moscow, according to Ukrainian officials.  The new Long Neptune has been tested.

The Ukrainian government said it is prepared to receive additional air defense systems from the United States and its other allies.  The U.S. and Ukraine are also reportedly close to a deal to keep the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from remaining under Russian control.  The U.S. is also assisting Ukraine in finding additional Patriot missiles.

Battlefield Updates

As Putin dismissed a full ceasefire, Russian forces intensified mechanized attacks, capitalizing on improved spring conditions and advancing in the south after pushing Ukraine out of Kursk. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported continued drone strikes on civilian infrastructure.

Russia has performed another attack on Ukraine using drones and a ballistic missile.  The strike took place on the night of March 13, 2025.  Another followed days later, including 145 Shahed attack drones and six missiles.

Russia is having problems defending Moscow from missile and drones attacks.  There are questions about the capabilities of Russian air defense systems deployed around the capital.  The Russo-Ukrainian War has caused an erosion of the air defenses around Moscow.

Russia’s Engel air base in Saratov Oblast is on fire after a massive Ukrainian drone attack.  The attack took place during the night of March 19-20, 2024.  Russian air defenders claimed to have shot down 54 Ukrainian drones over the area.

Many Ukrainian strikes have involved domestically-produced weapons, which have grown in importance as Kyiv fears the cut-off of military aid from its foreign partners. President Zelensky said this week that Ukraine had successfully performed strikes utilizing an extended-range version of the R360 Neptune missile. The updated version of the weapon reportedly carries a range of 1,000 kilometers.

Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for an explosion at the Sudzha gas pumping station near the border, where Ukrainian troops have been retreating amid ongoing battles. The attack comes as discussions continue over a U.S.-backed moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure.

Ukraine has reportedly begun using a directed energy weapon against low-flying targets, including drones and loitering munitions. Ukrainian officials said the laser weapon, called Tryzub (Trident in English), has been operationally deployed.

A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that Russia has significantly ramped up sabotage operations over the past two years in an effort to reduce international support for Ukraine.