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U.S. President Donald Trump has completed a 1.5-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, NBC reported on March 18, citing an unnamed White House source.
The call follows U.S.-led negotiations in Saudi Arabia, where Washington proposed a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Putin and Trump have not yet issued official statements after the phone call.
The call between the presidents began at 10 a.m. EDT and lasted "over an hour and a half," according to NBC.
Putin-Trump call went "very well," CNN reported, citing an unnamed Russian source with knowledge of the call. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino also said earlier the call was "going well."
"Under the leadership of President Putin and President Trump, the world has become a much safer place today!" Kirill Dmitriev, one of Russia's negotiators during talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia, wrote on X following the call.
Who is to gain more from a ceasefire — Russia or Ukraine?
U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 17 that he expects to hold a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal that Moscow has yet to agree to. Russia has declined to immediately accept the 30-day ceasefire proposal, with the
The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov
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7:04 PM
Zelensky arrives in Finland for official visit to discuss security and strengthen ties.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska arrived in Finland for an official visit on March 18. The plane carrying the couple landed at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in the afternoon.
6:47 PM
Putin, Trump end talks after 1.5-hour call.
U.S. President Donald Trump has completed a 1.5-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, NBC reported on March 18, citing an unnamed White House source.
5:17 PM
(Updated: March 18, 2025 5:56 pm)
Trump, Putin call 'going well,' White House official says.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin since 10:00 a.m. EDT, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino said on X.
5:49 PM
France to deploy fighter jets with nuclear warheads on German border by 2035, Macron says.
France will deploy Rafale fighter jets equipped with supersonic nuclear warheads along its border with Germany in 2035, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on March 18 at the Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur Airbase, according to BFMTV.
3:10 PM
Russian negotiator says he expects talks with Musk on space, tech.
Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said he expects Russia to hold talks with U.S. billionaire and President Donald Trump's ally, Elon Musk, in the near future, the pro-state news agency RBK reported on March 18.
2:28 PM
Notorious judge dismissed amid accusations of criminal activity, power grab.
Judge Pavlo Vovk was held responsible for "committing a significant disciplinary offense, gross or systematic neglect of duties that is incompatible with the status of a judge or revealed his incompatibility with the position he holds."
2:10 PM
UK reportedly hopes US drones, satellites will help monitor Ukraine ceasefire.
The U.S. military has 247 military satellites and thousands of commercial satellites, providing an "unrivaled picture" of eastern Ukraine that European forces would struggle to replicate, the Times wrote.
1:45 PM
Russia sees US aid halt during Ukraine truce as its 'minimum' goal, Bloomberg reports.
The Kremlin wants all Western arms supplies to Ukraine to stop during a proposed truce but prioritizes a pause on U.S. arms as its "minimum aim," Bloomberg reported on March 18, citing two undisclosed sources in Moscow.
1:13 PM
EU approves over $2 billion in economic support for Moldova.
The Reform and Growth Facility, which includes 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in low-interest loans and 385 million euros ($420 million) in grants, will cover the period of 2025-2027 and is part of the EU's long-term Moldova Growth Plan.
12:06 PM
Ukraine withdraws from one front-line sector in Donetsk Oblast, commander says.
"This allowed us not only to save our soldiers, but also to improve our defense. (Russia) is suffering losses, and we can act more effectively," Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev said.
11:57 AM
Poland, Baltics to withdraw from anti-personnel mine ban treaty.
The defense ministers of the four nations argued that the security situation in the region has "fundamentally deteriorated" and that military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have "significantly increased."
11:38 AM
Trump's aid cuts threaten supply of HIV treatments to Ukraine, 7 more countries, WHO warns.
World Health Organization warned that Kenya, Haiti, Lesotho, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Ukraine could run out of critical antiretroviral drugs in the coming months.
11:03 AM
Italy, Spain hesitant on EU's $43 billion military aid to Ukraine plan.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the proposal needed further discussion and that Italy was awaiting the outcome of the upcoming call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
10:34 AM
Trump boasts of saving 'surrounded' Ukrainian soldiers despite Kyiv denying encirclement in Kursk Oblast.
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on March 17 that he took an unspecified action to save "surrounded" Ukrainian soldiers, apparently referring to his earlier and unsubstantiated claims of Kyiv's troops being encircled in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
9:54 AM
Russian energy giant Gazprom suffers $13.1 billion loss in 2024.
Gazprom's losses averaged $251 million per week, $35 million per day, or $1.4 million per hour. While the company's total revenue increased by 11% and its gas revenue by 14%, it still ended the year with a sales loss of 192 billion rubles ($2.3 billion).
9:32 AM
2 killed, 13 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over past day.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 63 of the 137 Russian attack and decoy drones overnight over 12 oblasts, the Air Force said. Sixty-four decoy drones reportedly disappeared from radars without causing damage.
9:25 AM
Russia 'not losing hope' ahead of planned Putin-Trump call, top Putin aide says.
Russia is not "losing hope" ahead of a planned call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told pro-Kremlin news outlet Kommersant on March 18.
8:49 AM
UK, EU to discuss confiscating Russian assets ahead of Ukraine peace talks, Bloomberg reports.
Negotiations will focus on establishing the legal and financial framework to seize Russian assets, despite opposition from some EU member states, particularly Belgium and Germany.
8:45 AM
Telegram CEO Durov returns to Dubai amid French investigation.
Pavel Durov, Telegram's Russian-born founder and CEO, said that the investigating judges allowed him to depart even though the probe is ongoing.
8:10 AM
General Staff: Russia has lost 897,010 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.
The number includes 1,560 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
7:58 AM
Trump administration weighs recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, Semafor reports.
The potential move comes as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for a call with Vladimir Putin on March 18, with a proposed 30-day ceasefire on the table.
6:27 AM
European nations urge UN action against Russian satellite sabotage, media reports.
The disruptions have targeted Eutelsat and SES, Europe’s main satellite providers, which support television, radio, and aviation navigation systems.
5:42 AM
Updated: 'We had to get Ukraine to do the right thing,' Trump says.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 17 that the U.S. had to push Ukraine "to do the right thing" regarding efforts to end the war while recalling his public clash with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last month.
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