Key developments on March 29-30:
- Putin will have nothing to say at peace negotiations, Zelensky says.
- Russia preparing new offensive in 'coming weeks' to strengthen negotiating position, AP reports.
- Russian negotiator suggests ceasefire may not be reached in 2025.
- Trump says he's 'pissed off' and 'very angry' at Putin in phone interview with NBC News.
- Ukraine expects 'strong response' from allies after continued Russian strikes, Zelensky says.
- Partisans destroy electronic warfare system in occupied Kherson Oblast, military intelligence suggests.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 27 that Russian President Vladimir Putin would have no meaningful contribution to peace talks.
"I’ve never been afraid; it’s just Putin wanting war. What can a man who wants war say at peace talks?" Zelensky said when asked by the French newspaper Le Monde.
Zelensky added that Putin is "not ready for direct talks." "I'm not going to swallow his narrative... I'm not interested," Zelensky added.
The U.S. has held separate meetings with Ukrainian and Russian delegations to kickstart peace negotiations. Before Zelensky's comments, Putin claimed Ukraine should be subject to a temporary government led by the United Nations.
On March 28, a White House National Security Council spokesperson dismissed the proposal, emphasizing that Ukraine's governance is determined by its constitution and its people.
Moscow has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine. Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine and the U.S.
Russia targeted energy infrastructure in Kherson on March 27, despite President Zelensky saying a temporary ceasefire on energy infrastructure has been in place since March 25. Russia claims its side of the deal has been in place since March 18.
Ukraine has agreed to a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to the terms. So far, Moscow has refused.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn
Russia preparing new offensive in 'coming weeks' to strengthen negotiating position, AP reports
Russia is likely preparing to launch a new multipronged offensive in the coming weeks to strengthen its position in possible peace talks with Ukraine, the Associated Press (AP) reported on March 29, citing Ukrainian analysts and two undisclosed G7 diplomatic sources.
The news comes after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow is planning to attack the Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts this spring.
Capturing more Ukrainian territory would likely encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek even harsher conditions in a potential peace deal that the U.S. seeks to mediate.
Moscow has rejected a full 30-day truce agreed upon by the U.S. and Ukraine in Jeddah on March 11 and only agreed to a partial ceasefire on strikes against energy facilities and in the Black Sea.
Kyiv has already accused Russia of violating the energy ceasefire, while the future of the Black Sea ceasefire is in doubt as Moscow has linked it to the lifting of some Western sanctions.
"I can confirm that Putin is trying to get time and is preparing for a spring offensive. We see preparations for this upcoming operation," Zelensky said on March 27. Kyiv says that the Kremlin is stalling the peace talks to buy time for its troops to grab more land.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleksii Hetman told the AP that Russia's upcoming offensive operations could last between six and nine months.
Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, both located in northeastern Ukraine and bordering Russia, have played a key role in Ukraine's defense since the start of the full-scale invasion. Moscow launched a two-pronged offensive against Kharkiv Oblast last May. By June 8, Zelensky declared that Russia had "failed" in its offensive.
Expecting another offensive into Sumy Oblast, Ukraine launched its own incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August 2024 to disrupt Russian plans. Ukrainian forces initially seized some 1,300 square kilometers (500 miles) of Russian territory but lost much of its positions after Moscow's counteroffensive earlier this month.
Martin Fornusek
Russian negotiator suggests ceasefire may not be reached in 2025
Russian negotiator Grigory Karasin cast doubt on the Trump administration's efforts to broker a quick ceasefire in Ukraine, saying on March 28 that the talks with the U.S. may not yield decisive results this year.
Karasin led the Russian delegation that held the 12-hour-long technical consultations with the U.S. in Riyadh on March 24. These talks led to an agreement on a partial ceasefire covering strikes against energy infrastructure and Black Sea operations.
The Russian official described the meeting with the U.S. delegation as "constructive" but acknowledged limited results, suggesting that the consultations will continue. When asked about the timeline for clear results in the negotiations, he said they might not come "this year or at the end of this year."
"It would be naive to expect any breakthrough results at the very first meeting," Karasin, chairman of Russia's Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, said in an interview with the state-owned TV channel Rossiya-24.
Kyiv has already accused Russia of violating the energy ceasefire, while the future of the Black Sea ceasefire is in doubt as Moscow has linked it to the lifting of Western sanctions on Russian food producers and some financial institutions.
Moscow previously rejected a full 30-day truce agreed upon by the U.S. and Ukraine in Jeddah on March 11 unless it included conditions undermining Ukraine's ability to defend itself, including a full halt on foreign military aid.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly declared he would broker a swift deal to end Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, which has been ongoing for more than three years. His administration briefly halted all military assistance to Ukraine to push it to the negotiating table while exerting little pressure on Russia.
Trump acknowledged on March 25 that Russia may be "dragging their feet" in peace talks, while Kyiv and other observers warn that Moscow intentionally prolongs the process to allow Russian forces to capture more territory.
Alex Cadier
Trump says he's 'pissed off' and 'very angry' at Putin in phone interview with NBC News
U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly "pissed off" and "very angry" regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin's fixation over President Volodymyr Zelensky, NBC News reported on March 30.
In a call with NBC News journalist Kristen Welker, Trump said Putin's latest demand for a transitional government that would replace Zelensky suggests that peace talks are “not going in the right location."
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Russian oil if he deems that Russia is preventing peace talks from progressing.
“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump told NBC News.
“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States. There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
However, Trump also reiterated that he has "a very good relationship" with Putin and "anger dissipates quickly ... if he does the right thing.” The U.S. president added that he plans to speak with his Russian counterpart again in the near future.
Moscow previously rejected a full 30-day truce agreed upon by the U.S. and Ukraine in Jeddah on March 11 unless it included conditions undermining Ukraine's ability to defend itself, including a full halt on foreign military aid.
After the U.S. brokered a partial ceasefire in March, Russia has only stepped up its attacks against Ukraine, including deliberately targeting a military hospital in Kharkiv in its latest overnight attack on March 30.
Despite occasionally floating measures such as extra sanctions and tariffs on Russia, Trump has so far not taken concrete measures to put pressure on Moscow, which shows little intention of stopping on the battlefield.
Instead, the president has largely focused his leverage on Ukraine and Zelensky, already once cutting off U.S. military aid and and intelligence sharing, and pressing Kyiv to sign different versions of an exploitative deal to hand to Washington revenue from Ukraine's mineral wealth.
Abbey Fenbert
Ukraine expects 'strong response' from allies after continued Russian strikes, Zelensky says
Ukraine's allies must respond decisively to Russia's continued strikes against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address on March 29.
Two people were killed and 25 were injured in a Russian drone attack against Kharkiv late on March 29. Another four were killed and 30 injured in Russian strikes across Ukraine the day prior.
Zelensky decried the strikes not only for targeting civilians in Ukraine but for undermining international efforts to establish peace in Ukraine.
"Our partners should clearly understand: these strikes are not just attacks on Ukrainian civilians, but also on all international efforts — on the very diplomacy we are trying to use to end this war," Zelensky said.
Ukraine's allies must pressure Russia to stop its strikes against Ukraine with a significant response to uphold the international rules-based order, he said.
"We expect a response — a serious one. We are working toward a response. A strong response is urgently needed — above all from the U.S., from Europe, from everyone in the world who has placed their bets on diplomacy. Russia must be forced into peace – only pressure will work."
Zelensky condemned Russia for its continued strikes against Ukraine, adding that Russia launched attacks against various cities, including Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih.
"Last night alone, Russia launched 172 strike drones — over 100 of them were Shaheds. These massive drone attacks have now become a near-daily reality. On top of that, there are continued missile threats, including ballistic ones," Zelensky said.
The U.S. has held peace talks with Ukraine and Russia in separate meetings in recent weeks, resulting in an agreement for a partial ceasefire that Kyiv has already accused Moscow of breaking.
Pressure on Russia is the only way to achieve a meaningful ceasefire, Zelensky said.
"For far too long, the U.S. proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table – without a proper response from Russia. That says a lot. There could already have been a ceasefire — if there had been real pressure on Russia," Zelensky said.
Ukraine has already agreed to a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to the terms. So far, Moscow has refused.
Russia targeted energy infrastructure in Kherson on March 27, despite Zelensky saying a temporary ceasefire on energy infrastructure has been in place since March 25, and Russia claiming its side of the deal has been in place since March 18.
Abbey Fenbert
Partisans destroy electronic warfare system in occupied Kherson Oblast, military intelligence suggests
Ukrainian partisans have destroyed an electronic warfare system in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence reported on March 30.
A video published online by Ukraine's military intelligence shows an anonymous partisan reportedly on the night of March 29, pouring gasoline over a vehicle on which the system was stationed, setting it on fire, and then quickly fleeing the scene.
Russian occupants use such electronic warfare systems to "suppress radio communications and conduct electronic intelligence. The loss of such a system significantly weakens the capabilities of the aggressor’s army," Ukraine's military intelligence wrote.
Ukraine's southern Kherson Oblast was occupied by Russian forces at the start of the full-scale war. A counteroffensive launched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the fall of 2022 led to the liberation of the region's capital.
Russian forces were pushed back to the east bank of the Dnipro River, which they still occupy. From their position Russian forces continue to regularly launch attacks against the Ukrainian-controlled part of Kherson Oblast, killing civilians and destroying infrastructure.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
