03/27/2025March 27, 2025Russia accuses Ukraine of violating pause on striking energy targets
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Ukraine had targeted a transformer substation in the Russian region of Bryansk in the past 24 hours.
The ministry also said that it had shot down a drone that was targeting an underground gas storage facility in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
The accusations come amid an agreed moratorium on targeting energy infrastructure in both Ukraine and Russia.
The Defense Ministry’s claims could not be independently verified. French news agency AFP on Thursday cited a Ukrainian official saying that neither side had hit energy infrastructure since Tuesday, when the moratorium was announced by the US.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sLJs
03/27/2025March 27, 2025Macron spoke with Trump ahead of summit
The French presidency said on Thursday that President Emmanuel Macron had spoken with his US counterpart Donald Trump ahead of the summit on strengthening Ukraine.
The US is not taking part in Thursday’s meeting amid a more general rift between the US and Europe over questions of who is responsible for security.
Paris did not say what the two leaders discussed exactly or how Trump responded to Macron’s call.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sKzK
03/27/2025March 27, 2025EU chief Costa calls to continue sanctions against Russia
The head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, also joined Thursday’s summit in Paris.
He said the best way to help Ukraine achieve peace with Russia was to maintain the “pressure” on Moscow.
“The best way to support Ukraine is to stay consistent in our objective to reach a just and lasting peace,” Costa said in a post on social media. “This means keeping up the pressure on Russia through sanctions.”
“I will convey this message at today’s leaders’ meeting,” he added.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sKwm
03/27/2025March 27, 2025NATO corrects unconfirmed reports of deaths of US soldiers in Lithuania
Following reports on Wednesday that four US soldiers had died during a training close to the Belarusian border in Lithuania, NATO clarified that this had not been confirmed.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that the four soldiers who had gone missing had been found dead. However, NATO later clarified that the US military had not confirmed any deaths.
“The search is ongoing,” NATO said in a statement posted on X. “We regret any confusion about remarks [Rutte] delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.”
The US military has confirmed that the vehicle the soldiers were in had been found submerged in a body of water, but that recovery efforts were still underway.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sKqS
03/27/2025March 27, 2025Macron welcomes European leaders to Ukraine summit
Leaders from across Europe have been arriving in Paris for Thursday’s summit on boosting security for Ukraine.
Germany’s caretaker Chancellor Olaf Scholz is taking part in the summit Image: Tom Nicholson/Getty Images
France has increasingly taken the lead in supporting Ukraine after the US, its biggest military backer, has started to pull away under the new Trump administration.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Paris to represent the EUImage: Tom Nicholson/Getty Images
NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte has repeatedly appealed for European unity among the alliance’s member states as they work on scaling up their militaries.
Mark Rutte is joining national leaders in his role as NATO secretary general to discuss future security guarantees for UkraineImage: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images
https://p.dw.com/p/4sKVT
03/27/2025March 27, 2025Ukraine’s Zelenskyy concerned US is parroting Russian propaganda
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to European journalists on Wednesday after meeting with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.
He expressed his gratitude to the US for its support against the Russian invasion, but also remarked that some US officials were repeating Russian propaganda.
Zelenskyy gave the example of special advisor Steve Witkoff who recently said some Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territories want to live under Russian rule.
“I believe that Witkoff indeed very frequently quotes Kremlin narratives,” the Ukrainian leader said, adding that Witkoff’s statements “do not bring us closer to peace” and “will weaken American pressure on Russia.”
He also cast doubt on Russia’s commitment to the ceasefire proposals put forward by the US and said that Ukraine’s future security would be best guaranteed by NATO membership.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sJy2
03/27/2025March 27, 2025What to expect from the Paris summit on Ukraine?
Thursday’s summit comes amid attempts by the Trump administration to find a workable ceasefire deal with Russia.
Moscow and Kyiv have both confirmed their agreement to the outlines of a possible ceasefire deal in the Black Sea.
While these moves have been welcomed to some extent, European leaders have also been alarmed by decisions made in Washington that have undermined Ukraine’s security, such as the temporary suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
As a result, Europe is looking to provide its own security guarantees independently of its NATO ally.
Macron met with Zelenskyy on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s summit. He said this was now a “decisive phase to put an end to the war of aggression” started by Russia.
Some 26 European leaders — including Germany’s caretaker Chancellor Olaf Scholz — are set to meet with Zelenskyy in Paris. The summit is set to kick off at 0800 GMT with a press conference planned for the afternoon.
One of the points on the agenda will likely be the option of sending European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, once a ceasefire deal is sealed, to act as a deterrent against future Russian attacks.
The Ukrainian president on Wednesday said he was hoping for “strong decisions” at Thursday’s summit.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sJxj
03/27/2025March 27, 2025North Korea sent 3,000 additional troops to Russia: Seoul
North Korea has sent 3,000 more troops to Russia as reinforcement this year, South Korea’s military said on Thursday.
According to Seoul, Pyongyang also continues aiding Moscow’s Ukraine war efforts with artillery and ammunition.
The two countries have strengthened military ties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In a rare visit to North Korea last year Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
While neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has officially confirmed the troop deployment, according to South Korea about 11,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to aid Russian war efforts with 4,000 of them killed or wounded.
“In addition to manpower, North Korea continues to supply missiles, artillery equipment, and ammunition,” the South Korean report said.
Experts warn that the nuclear-armed North may be testing weapons for export to Russia for use against Ukraine.
They also point out that North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine are gaining modern combat experience, particularly in drone warfare.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sJtG
03/27/2025March 27, 2025Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv injure many
Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv late on Wednesday injured at least 15 people and caused significant damage, Ukrainian officials said.
Oleh Syniehubov, the region’s military governor, posted on Telegram that eight people were injured in the city of Kharkiv and seven more in the village of Zolochiv.
The emergency services also reported fires in the city center, while confirming that multiple buildings were hit, including civil infrastructure.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported at least 12 drone strikes on the city.
Syniehubov said the injured included two minors.
Drone strikes also caused fires in Dnipro, however no casualties were reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video showing an explosion next to a football field where children are playing condemning Russia’s shelling of civilian areas using of Iranian-made Shahed drones
Zelenskyy said that a US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table for weeks but warned that “without pressure on Russia, there will be no result.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4sJuO
03/27/2025March 27, 2025EU’s dependence on Russian gas rises further
The European Union’s reliance on Russian gas increased by 18% in 2024 despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, according to a report by think tank Ember.
The imports included both pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the EU sanctioned Russian energy sources, including coal and oil.
While the bloc aims to phase out Russian gas by 2027, the plan remains non-binding.
The imports came at a time when gas prices surged by nearly 60% in 2024 in the EU.
Italy, France, and the Czech Republic were among the nations that boosted Russian gas imports last year, the Ember report said.
“It is a scandal that the EU is still importing Russian gas,” Ember analyst Pawel Czyzak said.
Ember said gas imports are expected to rise further in 2025.
Meanwhile, Norway and the United States remain the EU’s largest gas suppliers, but geopolitical tensions with the US is forcing the European Commission to work on energy ties with Washington.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sJq5
Thank you for joining us as we bring you the latest reporting on Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
France is hosting a summit with European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
French President Emmanuel Macron, along with 26 other heads of state, are set to discuss possible security guarantees for Ukraine that Europe can offer ahead of a possible ceasefire deal with Russia.
France is one of the NATO countries that has floated the option of a “coalition of the willing” to send their own troops to Ukraine to ward off any future Russian attacks.
Macron on Wednesday said it was “too early” to consider lifting sanctions against Russia.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sJq4