These are important developments on the 1,118th day of Russia’s Ukrainian War.
Here is a summary of the key events for Tuesday, March 18th.
Fineting
One person was injured and a fire broke out at an oil refinery in Astrakan, Russia, following the Ukrainian drone attack, said region governor Igor Babshkin. Moscow’s defense ministry said its forces destroyed 72 Ukrainian drones overnight in various regions of Russia, including 36 in the Kursk region. The Russian military also seized an in-laws in the Zaporidian region of Ukraine, the ministry said. The Ukrainian Air Force said its air defense units fired 90 of the 174 Russian drones overnight. The electronic warfare mechanism “losts” another 70 drones. One civilian was reportedly injured in the attack and destroyed a kindergarten, home, shop and car in Odesa, area governor Ole Kiper said.
Politics and diplomacy
President Donald Trump told reporters he was planning to speak to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. “We want to see if that war can be put to an end. The White House said Trump is expected to discuss power plants bordering Ukraine and Russia in his appeal to Putin. Kaja Karas, the head of foreign policy for the European Union, said that the conditions for Russia’s ceasefire with Ukraine are indicative of their reluctance to declare peace as they are “the ultimate goal they want to achieve from the war.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ratified a bill that would allow Ukrainian troops to other countries during martial law. Kiev said that it “will repel and ensure that the armed attacks against Ukraine will be repelled and decided.” Dave Palace, the spokesman for the British Prime Minister, told reporters that the UK expects more than 30 European countries to send their troops. “Obviously, our contribution capabilities are different, but this is a significant force in a considerable number of countries,” he said. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump is committed to the conditions set by Russia for a 30-day ceasefire. But Macron said with X it was up to Russia to prove that it really wanted peace. Zelenskyy said Putin was unable to “force a simple yes” on the ceasefire agreement, despite it being almost a week after the contract was proposed.