Ukraine war latest: Trump, Zelensky hold phone call to discuss ceasefire; Ukraine brings back 175 soldiers from Russian captivity

Key developments on March 19:

• Zelensky agrees to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure during call with Trump
• US ownership of Ukraine's power plants would be 'best protection' of energy infrastructure, White House says
• Ukraine brings home 175 prisoners of war in swap with Russia
• Ukrainian drone strike halts operations at Russia's Krasnodar Krai oil station, authorities claim
• German government backs additional $3.3 billion in military aid for Ukraine

Zelensky agrees to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure during call with Trump

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he agreed to stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on March 19.

"One of the first steps toward fully ending the war could be ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it," Zelensky said on X following the hour-long call with Trump.

The call between Trump and Zelensky came a day after the U.S. president spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone.

Following the call, Putin announced he had agreed to a 30-day truce on strikes on energy infrastructure. The same night — overnight on March 19 —Russia carried out a large-scale drone attack that targeted energy infrastructure and other facilities.

Russia has been bombing Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure since 2022 and has been steadily expanding its air campaigns in recent months, with bombardments by swarms of Shahed drones now a nightly occurrence.

Ukraine has also launched regular drone attacks on Russia in response. On the night of March 10, over 330 Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow. Other strikes have targeted Russia's fossil fuel infrastructure.

US ownership of Ukraine's power plants would be 'best protection' of energy infrastructure, White House says

President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call on March 19, during which Trump suggested American ownership of Ukraine's power plants could help ensure their security.

Trump and Zelensky discussed Ukraine's electrical supply and nuclear power plants during the call, according to a readout of the conversation presented by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing.

Trump said the U.S. could be "very helpful in running the plants with its electricity and utility expertise," adding that "American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure."

It is unclear from the readout what energy infrastructure or nuclear power plants the U.S. could help run or acquire. Trump on March 13 said that as part of peace deal talks, he had discussed Russian-occupied territory with Ukraine, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — Europe's largest nuclear site — that has been under Russian control since the early days of the invasion.

"There's a power plant involved, a very big power plant involved. Who is going to get the power plant, and who is going to get this and that, and so you know it's not an easy process. But phase one is the ceasefire," Trump said on March 13.

The Trump-Zelensky phone call follows an hour-and-a-half-long conversation between the U.S. president and Russian President Vladimir Putin a day prior on March 18. Following the call, Putin said he had agreed to a limited 30-day pause on energy attacks.

Overnight on March 19, Russia launched an aerial attack on Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure in some parts of the country.

Russia has been targeting Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure since 2022. In recent months, Moscow has intensified aerial campaigns with bombardments by swarms of Shahed drones a nightly occurrence.

Ukraine has also launched regular attacks on Russia's fossil fuel production — a major revenue source for the Russian state. Zelensky said after the call with Trump that he had also agreed to stop strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure.

Material losses from Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have amounted to "billions of dollars," according to Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.

Halushchenko said on Feb. 24 that Russia has launched more than 30 mass strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure over the three years of its full-scale invasion.

Over the past three years, Russian troops have occupied territories hosting energy facilities producing 18 gigawatts (GW) of generation.

Ukraine brings home 175 prisoners of war in swap with Russia

Ukraine has brought home 175 Ukrainian soldiers in a one-for-one prisoner exchange with Russia that was mediated by the United Arab Emirates, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on March 19.

The news of the swap came after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin a day earlier.

Another 22 Ukrainian service members returned through negotiations outside of the one-for-one exchange.

As part of the swap, Russia also brought back 175 Russian soldiers.

The recent exchange included Ukrainian military personnel who served in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kursk oblasts, as well as thosewho defended the city of Mariupol and its Azovstal steel plant, according to Zelensky.

Among the prisoners of war who have returned are those that were seriously wounded and prosecuted by Russia for crimes they did not commit. All of them will be provided with the necessary medical and psychological assistance, Zelensky said.

"This is one of the largest exchanges. Our soldiers, sergeants and officers are returning. The soldiers who fought for our freedom in the Armed Forces, Navy, National Guard, Territorial Defense Forces and Border Guard," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

The Ukrainian president also expressed gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for making the exchange possible.

"Ukraine remembers each and every one of our heroes, and we will definitely bring all our people home," Zelensky said.

Following a call with U.S. President Donald Trump on March 18, the Kremlin announced that it would conduct a one-for-one prisoner exchange with Ukraine. Moscow claimed that it would release 23 severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers, but only transferred 22.

Ukraine, on Feb. 5, brought back 150 Ukrainian service members from Russian captivity.

In 2024, 1,358 Ukrainians were released, and since the beginning of the all-out war, 3,956 Ukrainians have returned from Russian captivity, Zelensky said in his New Year's address.

Ukrainian drone strike halts operations at Russia's Krasnodar Krai oil station, authorities claim

Ukrainian drones attacked the Kavkazskaya oil pumping station in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on March 19, damaging infrastructure and causing a fire, pro-Kremlin news outlet Shot and regional authorities claimed.

The attack reportedly damaged a pipeline connecting storage tanks, sparking a fire that covered an area of about 20 square meters.

The regional operational headquarters confirmed that 30 on-duty personnel were evacuated and that the facility suspended operations. No casualties were reported.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. The Ukrainian military has not commented on the reported attacks.

The Kavkazskaya oil transshipment point is crucial in Russia's energy exports, connecting a railroad oil terminal and the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station. It is part of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium system, which pumps up to 6 million metric tons of oil annually.

The strike follows Ukraine's Feb. 17 drone attack on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station, also in Krasnodar Krai, where seven drones reportedly hit key infrastructure.

Kyiv has intensified its campaign against Russia's energy and military infrastructure to disrupt Moscow's war effort. On March 17, Ukrainian drones struck a fuel and energy facility in Russia's Astrakhan Oblast, igniting a fire, regional Governor Igor Babushkin claimed.

The attack comes amid talks about a possible halt on mutual strikes against energy targets. The same night, Russia launched 145 drones and six missiles against Ukraine, inflicting civilian casualties and damaging infrastructure.

Ukraine has consistently targeted Russian refineries, oil depots, and defense industry sites, aiming to limit Russia's ability to sustain its full-scale invasion.

German government backs additional $3.3 billion in military aid for Ukraine

The outgoing German government agreed to release an additional 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in military assistance for Ukraine, a German Finance Ministry spokesperson confirmed for the Kyiv Independent on March 19.

Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz has long blocked the package unless it is financed by additional borrowing.

Friedrich Merz, who is set to become the next chancellor after his conservative CDU/CSU alliance won the elections in February, voiced confidence that the additional assistance would be approved as he unveiled massive efforts to boost defense spending by reforming Germany's debt brake.

Merz, who is seeking to build a new government coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD), scored a major win earlier this week after the outgoing parliament approved a spending surge that could unleash up to 500 billion euros ($545 billion) for Germany's defense and infrastructure.

According to Reuters, the parliamentary budget committee should approve the funds for Ukraine on March 21, as long as the Bundesrat, a legislative body representing Germany's federal states, approves Merz's reforms.

Germany is Ukraine's largest military donor in Europe, and its role is likely only to grow as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to reduce American involvement on the continent and restore ties with Russia.

The 3-billion-euro package is in addition to the 4 billion euros ($4.36 billion) already allocated for Kyiv in 2025.

Reuters reported earlier on March 19 that German Finance Minister Joerg Kukies has informed parliament's budget committee that the requirements for additional funds for Ukraine have been met.

This was later confirmed by the ministry's spokesperson to the Kyiv Independent.

The sum of 3 billion euros includes 2.547 billion euros ($2.8 billion) from the German budget, with the rest being reimbursed by the European Peace Facility.

Kukies also plans to authorize some 8.252 billion euros ($8.9 billion) in military aid to Ukraine between 2026 and 2029.

Note from the author:

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