Wagner Group establish headquarters in Rostov-on-Don.

9:49 AM

German, Lithuanian foreign ministers arrive in Kyiv.

Upon her arrival, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced additional humanitarian support for Ukraine amounting to 130 million euros ($140 million).

9:31 AM

Waltz held sensitive talks on Russia, Ukraine on Signal, WSJ reports.

U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has created and hosted multiple sensitive national-security conversations on Signal with cabinet members, including those on peace between Russia and Ukraine, the WSJ reported.

9:18 AM

'So far, it doesn't mean anything' — Russia launches no mass drone strike against Ukraine overnight.

"We'll keep monitoring; so far, it doesn't mean anything," National Security and Defense Council official Andrii Kovalenko said.

8:13 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 916,770 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,540 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

6:13 AM

Armenia refuses to finance Russian-led CSTO security alliance budget.

Armenia has refused to pay its contributions to the budget of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for the past year, the country's Foreign Ministry said on March 31, after suspending its participation in the military alliance in August 2024.

4:57 AM

Russia's calls for transitional Ukrainian government 'not appreciated' by Trump, State Department says.

"There was an idea from Russia about a temporary administration that was not appreciated by the president," State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters during a press briefing on March 31. "Ukraine is... a constitutional democracy. Governance in Ukraine is determined by its constitution and the Ukrainian people."

3:48 AM

Trump again threatens oil tariffs against Russia if peace deal not reached.

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.

12:40 AM

Zelensky, Starmer plan meeting on Ukraine peacekeeping force.

Military representatives from the "coalition of the willing" will meet in Ukraine later this week to discuss peacekeeping troops and security guarantees.

11:32 PM

Poland signs $2 billion air defense deal with US.

The contract includes the delivery of air defense equipment and logistical support for Patriot missile systems, the Polish Defense Ministry announced on March 31.

10:45 PM

Trump not pleased with Russia or Ukraine, White House says.

The U.S. president "has expressed his displeasure with comments that have been made by leaders of both sides of this conflict," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on March 31.

10:24 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: There's 'psychological deadline' for Putin to agree to Ukraine ceasefire, Trump says

10:10 PM

Ceasefire

Russia's Black Sea ceasefire demands are a 'fool's errand' for Trump, major blow for Ukraine

9:52 PM

Weimar+ group pledges more aid to Ukraine, weighs new Russia sanctions.

Foreign ministers from Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Britain, and Poland, along with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, called on Russia to agree to an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire on equal terms and with full implementation."

9:39 PM

Russia's Prosecutor General asks Supreme Court to remove Taliban from 'terrorist organizations' list.

The Supreme Court is set to review the request on April 17 in a closed session. The Taliban remains on Russia's federal list of terrorist organizations since 2003.

8:32 PM

Baltics

Unless you act, 'it's just rhetoric' — Baltic states skeptical of Western European leadership

8:22 PM

Putin signs largest conscription campaign in 14 years, drafting 160,000 men.

Although Russian conscripts are typically not deployed in active combat, Moscow has relied on financial incentives and pardons to recruit civilians for the war in Ukraine.

8:17 PM

US Army confirms deaths of 3 missing servicemen in Lithuania, 1 still missing.

The soldiers and their tracked vehicle disappeared on March 25 during an exercise at a training ground near the Lithuanian city of Pabrade, located about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border with Belarus. Pabrade hosts Camp Herkus, a U.S. military facility.

7:24 PM

Kremlin says it remains open to US talks despite Trump's reported anger at Putin.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov downplayed the reports, claiming Trump's comments were paraphrased rather than direct quotes.

5:59 PM

Moldova expels 3 Russian diplomats for aiding fugitive MP's escape to Transnistria.

The move follows reports that Moldovan lawmaker Alexandr Nesterovschi, sentenced to 12 years in prison for illegally financing the banned pro-Russian Shor Party, escaped to Russian-controlled Transnistria with help from Russian diplomats, according to Moldovan media Newsmaker.

5:15 PM

Video

Alexander Vindman: Trump repeats past US mistakes with Russia.

Alexander Vindman served as the director of European affairs for the United States National Security Council in 2018-2020, during U.S. President Donald Trump's first administration. The Kyiv Independent's Kate Tsurkan sits down with Vindman to discuss how Washington has historically misjudged Russia, "succumbing to hopes and fears," and why there is no real prospect of peace between Ukraine and Russia now.

1:34 PM  (Updated:  March 31, 2025 5:12 pm)

Marine Le Pen barred from running for public office after embezzlement verdict.

A French court on March 31 found Marine Le Pen, one of the leaders of the far-right National Rally party (RN), guilty of embezzling EU funds and banned her from running for public office "with immediate effect."

5:06 PM

Russia again focusing on Pokrovsk sector, yet 'stalling,' Syrskyi says.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukraine's main tasks are holding defensive lines and stabilizing threats, which have been partially achieved, particularly in the Pokrovsk direction.

4:12 PM

SBU detains group suspected of directing Russian missile attacks on Kyiv.

Three men were detained, including a Russian sleeper agent, the SBU said in a statement.

3:57 PM

Moscow Metro website displays appeal from recently hacked Ukrainian Railways.

The Moscow metro website became unavailable on March 31, displaying only a banner with a message on the technical failure from the recently hacked Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia).

3:37 PM

Ukraine-US talks on minerals deal ongoing, not tied to NATO membership, source says.

Ukrainian and U.S. government and legal teams continue discussions on the mineral deal, a source in the Presidential Office told the Kyiv Independent on March 31 as U.S. President Donald Trump is escalating his rhetoric on the agreement.