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Turkey Orders Almost 300 Military Personnel Arrested Over Alleged Links With Coup
Turkey's prosecutor's office has ordered the arrest of 295 serving military personnel accused of ties with an alleged network led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated a 2016 attempted coup.
The prosecutor's statement issued on February 22 says that those facing detention included three colonels, eight majors, and 10 lieutenants.
About half of the suspects are members of the army, with the remainder serving in other military forces, including the navy and air force, the statement said.
Police launched simultaneous arrest operations one hour after midnight under an investigation into payphone calls between suspected Gulen operatives, the statement said.
It was not immediately known how many suspects have been arrested so far.
Gulen has denied any involvement in the July 15, 2016, failed coup, during which 250 people were killed.
Gulen, a former ally of President Tayyip Erdogan, has been living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.
More than 77,000 people have been jailed pending trial since the attempted coup.
Authorities have suspended or dismissed 150,000 civil servants and military personnel.
Erdogan has been accused of using the failed coup as a pretext to stifle dissent.
Based on reporting by Reuters
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Thousands Of Hungarian Opposition Supporters Rally; PM Orban Vows Crackdown On Media
Thousands of Hungarians rallied in Budapest to protest Prime Minister Viktor Orban as the leader of the surging opposition Tisza party vowed to end Orban's 15-year rule.
Orban, meanwhile, stepped up his campaign rhetoric in a separate speech on March 15, pledging to crack down on politicians and journalists who receive foreign funding and again ruling out European Union membership for Ukraine
Hungary is scheduled to hold general elections next year, and opinion polls show the Tisza party, which is headed by former Orban ally Peter Magyar, is surging, in part because of the country’s sputtering economy.
As more than 50,000 backers of Tisza and others rallied in cold weather in Budapest, Magyar pledged to release a popular survey on 12 key economic and political issues in order to hear the "voice of the nation."
"Those who cheat on their own nation should end up in the dustbin of history," Magyar told the crowd. "Our time has come."
Earlier in the day, at a rally to mark the country’s national day, Orban vowed to eliminate what he called a "shadow army" of non-governmental organizations, journalists, and politicians he said were paid from the United States and Brussels.
The comments echoed earlier comments where Orban targeted NGOs and media who received funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development and billionaire George Soros.
"After today's celebrations, comes the big Easter cleaning up as the bugs have survived the winter," Orban said. "We will eliminate the whole shadow army."
Orban’s Fidesz party has proposed constitutional changes that would permit the expulsion of dual citizens deemed to pose a threat to Hungary's sovereignty.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Trump Signs Executive Order For Major Cuts To 7 Agencies, Including RFE/RL Overseer USAGM
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to reduce seven federal agencies – including the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other federal broadcasters.
The order, signed late on March 14, also targets agencies that deal with homelessness, labor disputes, and community development.
“Within 7 days of the date of this order, the head of each governmental entity listed [in the order] shall submit a report to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget confirming full compliance with this order and explaining which components or functions of the governmental entity, if any, are statutorily required and to what extent,” the order says.
Hours after the executive order was published, media reports circulated a letter from the USAGM saying the Congress-approved grant that funds RFE/RL had been terminated.
The letter was signed by Kari Lake, who lists her title as senior adviser to the (USAGM) acting CEO with authorities delegated by acting CEO.
Lake has been nominated by Trump to take over as head of Voice of America, though her nomination must still be approved by the International Broadcasting Advisory Board.
RFE/RL President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Capus said cancelling the grant agreement would be "a massive gift to America’s enemies."
"The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise of RFE/RL after 75 years. Handing our adversaries a win would make them stronger and America weaker," he said in a statement.
"We’ve benefitted from strong bipartisan support throughout RFE/RL’s storied history. Without us, the nearly 50 million people in closed societies who depend on us for accurate news and information each week won’t have access to the truth about America and the world,” Capus added.
The USAGM is an independent US government agency that oversees the broadcasting of news and information in almost 50 languages to some 361 million people each week.
The total budget request for the USAGM for Fiscal Year 2025 was $950 million to fund all of its operations and capital investments.
This includes media outlets such as RFE/RL, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio Marti), Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) and the Open Technology Fund.
According to media reports, VOA employees were informed early on March 15 that they had been put on administrative leave with pay, though if they are asked to work, they must do so.
The situation at the other broadcasters was not immediately clear.
“It is outrageous that the White House is seeking to gut the Congress-funded agency supporting independent journalism that challenges narratives of authoritarian regimes around the world,” Carlos Martinez de la Serna, program director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement on March 15.
“We call on congressional leaders to protect this critical agency, which provides uncensored news in countries where the press is restricted.”
Trump, who has taken several moves to slash government spending since taking office for a second term in January, clashed with the USAGM over editorial independence and the direction of programming during his first term.
He has reiterated those concerns again since retaking office. Supporters of the broadcasters say they are an important arm of US diplomacy.
In addition to the USAGM, the order targets Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; and the Minority Business Development Agency.
Romanian Far-Right Candidate Cleared For Ballot In May Election Rerun
Election authorities have cleared an ultranationalist party leader to run in Romania's May presidential election, days after the Constitutional Court upheld a decision to bar far-right populist Calin Georgescu from the ballot.
The Central Electoral Board (BEC) approved the candidacy of George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) and an ally of Georgescu's. The March 15 ruling came one day after Simion filed his application for registration as a candidate.
Simion and Anamaria Gavrila, leader of the far-right Party of Young People (POT) and a former AUR member, announced earlier this week they would both seek to enter the race and that if both are cleared, one will withdraw. Gavrila was expected to file her application on March 15, the deadline to do so.
Also on March 15, the BEC rejected the candidacy of another far-right politician, SOS Romania party leader Diana Sosoaca, and approved the candidacy of pro-European centrist Elena Lasconi. Sosoaca had also been rejected when the election was initially held in November.
Georgescu, who is critical of NATO and opposes Romanian support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion, was the surprise winner of the most votes in the first round of the election, on November 24. Simion placed fourth.
After that vote, Romanian intelligence said foreign actors, most likely Russia, had manipulated social media platforms, especially TikTok, to benefit Georgescu. On December 6, with a runoff in pitting Georgescu against Lasconi already under way, the Constitutional Court threw out the entire presidential election.
It was later rescheduled for May, with the first round on May 4 and a runoff, if needed, on May 18.
Supporters of Georgescu have held several protests over the decision to bar him from the ballot.
On March 15, demonstrators from the other side of the political divide held a rally in Bucharest to voice solidarity with what they said are European values.
Tens Of Thousands Fill Belgrade Streets In Massive Serbian Student-Led Protest
BELGRADE -- Tens of thousands of people jammed the streets of central Belgrade, the largest in a wave of student-led demonstrations demanding Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's government be held accountable for a deadly canopy collapse at a railway station in November.
Protesters skirmished with riot police at several locations in Belgrade late March 15, throwing fireworks and bottles. No arrests were reported immediately.
Earlier, flag-waving demonstrators gathered at several locations and converged outside parliament, in what appeared to be one of the country's biggest protests in decades. Speakers later addressed the crowd at a square hundreds of meters away.
"Look how many of us there are," one student told protesters. "Let your voice wake up Serbia."
Participants had streamed into the capital from across the country on foot, bicycles, and motorcycles ahead of the demonstration. Supporters and fellow protesters, including students from Belgrade, laid out a red carpet and cheered as people entered the city center.
The atmosphere among protesters was upbeat, but security was tight and there were scattered incidents of violence ahead of the main rally.
The November 1 collapse of the canopy at the railway station in the northern town of Novi Sad has led to what may be the biggest challenge yet to Vucic's political power. Fifteen people were killed.
At a news conference a day earlier, Vucic said he had asked police to show restraint but that "those who endanger peace will be arrested."
Student protests over the accident have evolved into a broader movement opposing what demonstrators say is the crumbling rule of law and systemic corruption under Vucic, the president since 2017 and prime minister for three years before that.
Student protesters have been demonstrating and blocking their university departments for over three months. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to demonstrate in over 200 cities and towns.
Ljiljana Kovacevic, a teacher from the northern town of Vrbas, told RFE/RL that she came to Belgrade to support the students, her former pupils.
"We hope everything will go smoothly and the students will achieve their goals -- along with us," she said.
The parliament speaker announced a day before the protest that the parliament building would remain closed until March 17 for security reasons.
Government officials accused the protest organizers of planning violence and announced arrests. Students denied the authorities' claims and called for a peaceful gathering.
Large groups of Vucic supporters camped in a park near across from parliament, and tractors were brought in overnight to surround their camp. By morning, however, many of the tractors’ tires were deflated and some of the vehicles bore stickers depicting a bloody hand and a call to protests.
Police said some of the tractors had suffered other damage such as windows smashed or doors torn off. The Interior Ministry said two people had been arrested on suspicion of violating public order.
Police in riot gear blocked entrance to the park, and security guards from the ranks of the students were positioned between police and protesters.
Separately, footage posted online showed a car driving amid a crowd in a Belgrade suburb and a woman falling to the ground off the vehicle's hood. Police said three people were injured and the driver was arrested after exerting "active resistance."
A group of men injured a student and a university lecturer in an attack in central Belgrade early in the day, police said.
- By RFE/RL
Starmer Says 'Coalition Of The Willing' Will Draft Plans To Protect Ukraine Under Cease-Fire
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Russia must stop attacking Ukraine and agree to a cease-fire, and he pledged that a "willing" coalition of Western countries will draft plans to protect Ukraine if a deal is reached.
At a news conference after a virtual meeting with leaders from 25 other countries and entities on March 15, Starmer said Putin's "Yes, but" response to the US cease-fire proposal is "not enough."
"If Putin is serious about peace, it's very simple: He has to stop his barbaric attacks on Ukraine and agree to a cease-fire," Starmer said on the video call, which included leaders of European nations as well as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, but not the United States.
Participants also included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
"We agreed we will keep increasing the pressure on Russia, keep the military aid flowing to Ukraine, and keep tightening restrictions on Russia's economy to weaken Putin's war machine and bring him to the table," Starmer told reporters.
As Russia, the United States, and Ukraine wrangle over US President Donald Trump's proposal for an immediate 30-day cease-fire, Starmer said Western states must maintain pressure on Moscow and be prepared to "defend" any peace deal.
"We will build up Ukraine's own defenses and armed forces, and be ready to deploy as a 'coalition of the willing' in the event of a peace deal, to help secure Ukraine on the land, at sea and in the sky," he said in a statement after the meeting.
"My feeling is that sooner or later, he's going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussion," Starmer said of Putin. But, he added, "we can't sit back and simply wait for that to happen. We have to keep pushing ahead, pushing forward, and preparing for peace and a peace that will be secure and that will last."
Starmer said militaries of the "coalition of the willing" would meet in Britain on March 20 "to put strong and robust plans in place to swing in behind a peace deal and guarantee Ukraine's future security."
Britain, France, and other countries have said they could send peacekeepers to Ukraine if a cease-fire agreement is reached.
Starmer has called on Washington to offer a security "backstop" to those forces in an effort to deter further Russian attacks, and he said US support is crucial: "I've been clear that it needs to be done in conjunction with the United States."
"We are talking to the US on a daily basis," Starmer said, adding his national-security adviser had returned from the United States on March 15.
"If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a cease-fire to ensure it is a serious and enduring peace," Starmer said in the statement. "If they don't, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war."
After the video call, Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's Western backers to set out "a clear position on security guarantees," including a potential force to be deployed.
"Peace will be more reliable with European contingents on the ground and the American side as a backstop," he wrote on X.
Following a discussion with Starmer on March 14, French President Emmanuel Macron also said Russia must accept the cease-fire proposal.
Ukraine agreed to the cease-fire proposal at a March 11 meeting between senior US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, and a special envoy for Trump, Steve Witkoff, subsequently discussed it with Putin in Moscow.
On March 13, Putin said Russia agrees with the idea of a cease-fire but added that "there are nuances" and that it "should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of this crisis."
He said questions that must be addressed include what happens in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been losing ground in recent weeks after a surprise incursion last August, and who might monitor the cease-fire. Russia has said the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine would be unacceptable, casting a shadow over Western plans for a potential deployment.
In addition, Putin's mention of "root causes" suggested Russia may seek to secure agreement on several long-standing demands such as a Ukrainian commitment to neutrality, limits on the size and strength of Ukraine's military, and even a pullback of NATO forces from countries in the former Warsaw Pact.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after Witkoff's meeting with Putin that Moscow was "cautiously optimistic" and that a conversation between Putin and Trump after Witkoff relayed "all the information" about Russia's position to Trump.
In a social media post, Trump said the discussions were "very good and productive...and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end."
Kyiv, however, cried foul. In a post on X on March 14, Zelenskyy accused the Kremlin of trying to "complicate and drag out the process."
"Russia is the only party that wants the war to continue and diplomacy to break down," he wrote.
Ukraine also denied Putin's claim that Ukrainian forces were "isolated" in the Kursk region and had no way out other than surrender or death.
"Our troops continue to hold back Russian and North Korean groupings in the Kursk region," Zelenskyy said in a post on X on March 15. "There is no encirclement of our troops."
He said Russian forces were accumulating nearby for what he said was likely to be an attack on Ukraine's Sumy region, which border Russia's Kursk region, adding: "We are aware of this, and will counter it."
In a statement on March 14, the Ukrainian armed forces general staff said reports of "the alleged 'encirclement' of Ukrainian units...in the Kursk region are false and fabricated," adding: "There is no threat of encirclement of our units."
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after seizing Crimea and fomenting war in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region in 2014 following the downfall of a Moscow-friendly Ukrainian president whose decision to scrap a plan for closer ties with the European Union and turn to Russia instead stoked massive protests known as the Maidan.
Trump has made ending the war a prominent goal. He called Putin weeks after taking office in January and subsequently sent senior officials to meet with Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia.
The US administration's refusal to promise Ukraine concrete security guarantees has been a source of tension in the relationship between Washington and Kyiv, which is wary of Trump's efforts to mend US-Russian ties.
Amid the push for peace, air attacks and fierce fighting on the ground have continued.
Ukraine's biggest private energy provider, DTEK, said on March 15 that Russian air strikes caused "significant" damage to its energy facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions and that some consumers in both regions were left without power.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
- By RFE/RL
US Joins G7 Allies In 'Unwavering Support' For Ukraine, Cease-Fire Effort
The United States joined with its Group of Seven (G7) allies in stating "our unwavering support" for Kyiv and welcoming the ongoing efforts to reach a cease-fire as Russia intensifies attacks as part of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"We reaffirmed our unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity and right to exist, and its freedom, sovereignty, and independence," the foreign ministers of the leading industrial nations said in a joint statement on March 14.
The statement was signed by host Canada and the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, along with the high representative of the European Union.
It said the group also "welcomed ongoing efforts to achieve a cease-fire, and in particular the meeting on March 11 between the US and Ukraine in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
"We applauded Ukraine's commitment to an immediate cease-fire, which is an essential step toward a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with the Charter of the United Nations," it added following the summit in Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada.
"We called for Russia to reciprocate by agreeing to a cease-fire on equal terms and implementing it fully. We discussed imposing further costs on Russia in case such a cease-fire is not agreed, including through further sanctions, caps on oil prices, as well as additional support for Ukraine, and other means."
Some members of the G7 had expressed concerns of the ability to show unity following tensions with the administration of US President Donald Trump, who has shown more willingness to negotiate with Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
"The goal was to keep strong G7 unity," Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said.
Trump on March 14 said he sees a "very good chance" for peace between Ukraine and Russia after "very good and productive discussions" between US officials and Putin.
"We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end," Trump wrote.
His social media post came just hours after the Kremlin said it was "cautiously optimistic" following a meeting late on March 13 between Putin and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Kyiv agreed to Trump's 30-day cease-fire proposal at a meeting in Jeddah on March 11, putting the onus for peace on Moscow.
Putin said he agrees in principle with the US proposal for a temporary cease-fire with Ukraine, but added that "there are nuances," such as Western weapons deliveries to Kyiv, that he wants addressed first.
The Russian leader also said any agreement should lead to long-term peace that addresses the "root" reasons for the war -- an apparent reference to NATO expansion and other developments Putin claims have put Russia's security in jeopardy.
Questioning Putin's Motives
In a video posted late on March 13, Zelenskyy questioned Putin's motives, saying the Russian leader was preparing to reject the proposal but was afraid to tell Trump.
"That's why in Moscow they are imposing upon the idea of a cease-fire these conditions -- so that nothing happens at all, or so that it cannot happen for as long as possible," Zelenskyy said.
In its joint statement, the G7 said that "we emphasized that any cease-fire must be respected and underscored the need for robust and credible security arrangements to ensure that Ukraine can deter and defend against any renewed acts of aggression."
"We stated that we will continue to coordinate economic and humanitarian support to promote the early recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine," including at the Ukraine Recovery Conference that will take place in Rome on July 10-11.
The statement "condemned" the provision of military assistance by North Korea, which has supplied an estimated 11,000 troops, and Iran, which has delivered deadly drones used by Russia in Ukraine.
US Commends Armenia, Azerbaijan On Historic Peace Agreement
The United States has praised Armenia and Azerbaijan for concluding negotiations on a "historic peace treaty," marking a significant step toward ending decades of hostilities between the two nations.
Armenia and Azerbaijan finalized the text of a peace agreement on March 13, which is aimed at establishing formal relations.
"The United States commends Armenia and Azerbaijan for concluding negotiations on a historic peace treaty," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.
"This is an opportunity for both countries to turn the page on a decades-old conflict in line with President [Donald] Trump's vision for a more peaceful world.
Baku and Yerevan were locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh for years. Armenian-backed separatists seized the mainly Armenian-populated region from Azerbaijan during a war in the early 1990s that killed some 30,000 people.
Azerbaijan retook control of the Karabakh region from Armenian separatists in September 2023 following a lightning offensive.
In a Telegram post, the Armenian government said that the country's prime minister, Nikol Pashinian, had informed Russian President Vladimir Putin about the peace agreement during a telephone conversation.
In a statement, the Kremlin confirmed Pashinian's conversation with Putin, saying that the Russian president stressed that "Russia has always supported and continues to support the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations in the interests of ensuring security, stability, and sustainable socio-economic development in the Transcaucasian region."
Putin said that "Both Armenia and Azerbaijan can always count on any possible assistance from the Russian side in achieving these goals."
When Could The Peace Agreement Be Signed?
The key question now is when the agreement might be signed.
Azerbaijan insists that the treaty cannot be signed until Armenia amends its constitution and legal system to eliminate any mention of territorial claims over areas within Azerbaijan, primarily Karabakh.
The current Armenian Constitution's preamble refers to a 1990 declaration of independence, made while Armenia was still a part of the Soviet Union, which calls for the reunification of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, which was then a part of Soviet Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has argued that, as long as the claim to Karabakh remains enshrined in Armenian law, there will be a danger of governments after Pashinian going back on that declaration and relitigating its claims to Karabakh.
Speaking after the agreement, Pashinian played down the issue, saying that "the constitution of the Republic of Armenia does not have territorial claims against Azerbaijan or any other country." He expressed the view that "the agreed text of the peace agreement addresses and resolves all these concerns.”
However, Azerbaijani political commentator Rauf Mirgadirov told RFE/RL that the peace agreement would not be signed anytime soon.
"Any full-fledged peace agreement requires the unconditional recognition of each other's territorial integrity by the states. The probability that changes will be made to the Armenian Constitution in the next month or two is zero," Mirgadirov said.
Richard Giragosian, head of the Center for Regional Studies in Yerevan, agreed that constitutional amendments were a long-term process but not impossible to achieve.
"The constitutional amendments as a legal process will not be completed earlier than June 2026," he added.
There are other outstanding issues that could prevent the treaty being signed and relations normalized: the withdrawal of both sides' legal claims from international courts, unblocking regional transport routes, and addressing the status of prisoners of war.
In his statement, Rubio urged both sides to "commit to peace, sign and ratify the treaty, and usher in a new era of prosperity for the people of the South Caucasus."
The European Union also urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign the treaty as soon as possible after congratulating them on the peace agreement.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, commended both sides for their persistent work and said that the announcement of the peace agreement "represents a decisive step toward lasting peace and security in the region."
- By Maryan Kushnir and
- Kyrylo Lazarevych
US Weapons Still Firing On The Battlefield In Ukraine
US-made weapons continue to be actively used on Ukraine's battlefields despite a temporary pause in military aid from the United States.
Deliveries of ammunition and weapons resumed on March 12 after being suspended for just over a week.
The suspension followed an Oval Office row between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 28.
RFE/RL's Maryan Kushnir met frontline troops in the eastern Donetsk region in early March.
He found them using the US Paladin howitzer and Bradley fighting vehicles, as well as the M777 howitzer, which is manufactured in the United States and United Kingdom.
The weapons were under heavy and near constant use.
“The Ukrainian troops have opened intensive fire near [the town of] Kurakhove,” said Kushnir, standing next to a M777. “They've just fired more than 20 shells, and the firing hasn't stopped. This type of artillery arrived in 2022 from the United States. There are many such guns on the front line and they are used widely, as are NATO-caliber shells. The firing never stops, as you can see.”
The soldiers Kushnir interviewed said they believed the suspension of military aid had had little impact so far.
“As far as I know, we are manufacturing shells now, so I don't think we will have any problems with the supply,” one unnamed soldier told Kushnir. “And we will still have these guns, too. If something happens in the future, we can still repair them. They are being repaired and restored so we can use them again.”
“It's not just America that's helping us,” said another unnamed soldier. “We will hold out and this situation will stop.”
According to the Germany-based Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the United States supplied $67 billion of military aid between the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and December 2024.
Europe provide $65 billion in the same period.
Fedir Venislavsky, who sits on the defense committee of the Ukrainian parliament, estimated in early March that Ukraine’s weapons supplies would last just six months without US military aid.
- By RFE/RL
Trump Sees 'Very Good Chance' Of Peace After 'Productive' Talks With Putin
US President Donald Trump said he sees a "very good chance" for peace between Ukraine and Russia after "very good and productive discussions" between US officials and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a March 14 post on his Truth Social site, Trump also said the United States had urged Russia to spare the lives of "thousands" of Ukrainian soldiers that Putin has said have been isolated by Russian troops in Russia's Kursk region. Ukraine disputes that claim.
The post came just hours after the Kremlin said it was "cautiously optimistic" following a meeting late on March 13 between Putin and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
"We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end," Trump wrote.
Trump added that "thousands of Ukrainian troops are completely surrounded by the Russian military, and in a very bad and vulnerable position."
"I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared," he wrote. "This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II."
Putin said a day earlier that a group of Ukrainian troops were "isolated" in the Kursk region, the site of a surprise incursion by Ukrainian forces last August. Responding to Trump's plea on March 14, he said the soldiers' lives would be spared if they surrendered and urged Kyiv to order them to do so.
Officials in Kyiv have said that while Ukrainian forces have been slowly withdrawing in the Kursk region under heavy pressure from Russian troops, but the armed forces general staff said on March 14 that "[r]eports of the alleged 'encirclement' of Ukrainian units...in the Kursk region are false and fabricated."
"There is no threat of encirclement of our units," it said in a statement on social media.
Zelenskyy Challenges Putin's Motives
Earlier on March 14, Putin's spokesman said there were grounds for "cautious optimism" over Trump's 30-day cease-fire proposal, which Ukraine accepted earlier this week at talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine, meanwhile, questioned Moscow's sincerity in ending the war, which is now in its fourth year since Russia's full-scale invasion on February 2022.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that Putin sent Trump a message about his cease-fire proposal after his talks with Witkoff in the Russian capital.
"When Mr Witkoff brings all the information to President Trump, we will determine the timing of a conversation (between Trump and Putin). There are reasons to be cautiously optimistic," Peskov said.
Putin said a day earlier that he agrees in principle with the US proposal for a temporary cease-fire with Ukraine, but added that "there are nuances," such as Western weapons deliveries to Kyiv, that he wants addressed first.
The Russian leader also said any agreement should lead to long-term peace that addresses the "root" reasons for the war, an apparent reference to NATO expansion and other developments Putin claims have put Russia's security in jeopardy.
In a video posted late on March 13, Zelenskyy questioned Putin's motives, saying the Russian leader was preparing to reject the proposal but was afraid to tell Trump.
"That's why in Moscow they are imposing upon the idea of a cease-fire these conditions -- so that nothing happens at all, or so that it cannot happen for as long as possible," Zelenskyy said.
He followed up on March 14 with a post on social media accusing the Kremlin of trying to "complicate and drag out the process."
"Russia is the only party that wants the war to continue and diplomacy to break down," he said on X after a call with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Putin's Response To Trump's Pressure
Kyiv agreed to Trump's 30-day cease-fire proposal at a meeting in Jeddah on March 11, putting the onus for peace in Moscow's lap. Putin's response threw the ball back into US hands, at least to some degree.
Trump called Putin's initial reaction to peace talk developments "promising" but incomplete, though he added he hoped Russia would "do the right thing" and agree to the deal.
"I think the Russians are keen not to be seen as the intransigent party as that could lead to consequences from Trump, such as sanctions. So that informed Putin's comments today," John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank, told RFE/RL.
Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine a top priority since taking office for a second term less than two months ago, and is wielding US leverage to get both Kyiv and Moscow to the table.
On March 13, the US administration heightened pressure on Russia by increasing restrictions on the country's oil, gas, and banking sectors.
Among the measures, the Treasury Department was allowing the expiration of a 60-day exemption put in place in January by the Biden administration that let some energy transactions involving sanctioned Russian banks continue. The move would make it more difficult for other nations, especially in Europe, to buy Russian oil.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) -- which includes the United States, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan -- said they discussed imposing more sanctions on Russia and boosting support for Ukraine if the Kremlin does not agree to the cease-fire.
Among the measures discussed during the March 13-14 meeting were caps on the price for Russian oil exports, they said in a joint statement. Western nations in late 2022 imposed a $60-a-barrel price cap on the export of Russian oil using Western ships or insurance. It is unclear if the G7 discussions touched on lowering the price cap. Russia's economy is heavily dependent on oil exports, which account for a third of federal budget revenues.
In a joint statement following the meeting, the G7 said that "we reaffirmed our unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity and right to exist, and its freedom, sovereignty, and independence."
"We welcomed ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire, and in particular the meeting on March 11 between the US and Ukraine in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," it added.
Putin also said there were several unanswered questions in the proposal, such as what to do about Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region.
"If we have a cease-fire, does that mean that everyone there would leave?" Putin said. "Should we release them [Ukrainian troops] after they committed crimes against the population? Or would they surrender?"
Ukraine denies committing such crimes, saying it abides by humanitarian law and does not target civilians.
Why Should Russia Agree To A Cease-Fire?
Kyiv seized a swath of the Kursk region in a stealth incursion in August, a move seen as an effort to divert Russian forces from eastern Ukraine and use the territory as a bargaining chip in any peace talks.
That strategy is now failing as Russian forces supported by North Korean troops push the Ukrainians out of Kursk. Russia has regained more than half the territory in Kursk initially captured by Ukraine.
Zelenskyy told reporters on March 14 that the situation in Kursk was "obviously very difficult."
Among the other concerns Putin voiced about the cease-fire proposal is whether Ukraine would use the 30-day period to mobilize and train forces or rearm with the help of the West.
He also raised the question of how the nearly 2,000-kilometer front would be monitored. Zelenskyy told reporters that the front could be monitored by US satellites.
Experts had warned that Putin would likely seek to drag out cease-fire talks because his forces have the upper hand on the battlefield.
Aside from the advances in Kursk, Russia is gaining territory in eastern Ukraine -- albeit at high human and material costs -- due to its significant manpower advantage.
However, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has stopped Russian forces at the gates of Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub in Donetsk region, after months of fighting on the outskirts of the city. Zelenskyy asserted that the incursion into Kursk forced Russia to pull forces from eastern Ukraine, giving his troops time to defend the city.
Russia is seeking to capture at a minimum the entirety of the four regions of Ukraine it claims to have annexed in September 2022: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson. A cease-fire freezing the current front lines would leave them short of that goal.
"One way the Russians could slow down this process without coming out directly and saying 'no', is by dragging out those technical discussions on monitoring" the cease-fire, Hardie said.
"That could also give them ways to try to pin the blame back on Ukraine, by insisting on certain technical matters that Ukraine might find objectionable," he said.
Russian Accused Of Ukraine War Crimes Found Guilty In Finland
HELSINKI -- A court in Finland's capital, Helsinki, has convicted a Russian citizen on four charges of war crimes committed in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Voislav Torden, a 38-year-old Russian ultranationalist earlier known as Yan Petrovsky, was given a life sentence.
Torden was linked to the deaths of 22 Ukrainian soldiers and the injury of four others.
Rarely does a court ruling on war crimes committed in Ukraine come from a jurisdiction outside of Ukraine.
What Crimes Did He Commit?
Torden, a former commander of the Rusich sabotage group, was fighting against Ukrainian forces in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The paramilitary unit has alleged ties to the Wagner mercenary group and embraces far-right ideology.
The Rusich group closely followed Torden's case and said it had raised money to pay for his lawyers.
According to prosecutors, in 2014, fighters led by Torden ambushed a group of Ukrainian soldiers, killing 22 and seriously injuring four.
Photos and video posted by Rusich group on social media apparently showed that some prisoners were executed. One of the prisoners had the Rusich group's symbol carved into his face.
Prosecutors accused Torden of violating the laws of war and committing acts of cruelty against both injured and deceased enemy combatants, according to the indictment.
Torden has denied all the charges and will appeal the ruling.
Why Was Torden Tried In Finland?
Born Yan Petrovsky in 1987 in St. Petersburg, Torden relocated to Oslo in 2004 with his mother. He then regularly visited Russia, where he met former paratrooper and nationalist Aleksandr Milchakov.
In 2014, they traveled to Ukraine’s Donbas region to support Russia-backed separatists in their fight against Ukrainian forces.
Torden was deported from Norway to Russia in 2016, where he took the name Voislav Torden instead of Yan Petrovsky.
He entered Finland in 2023 as a family member of his wife, who had obtained a study permit.
Torden was detained at Helsinki Airport on July 20, 2023, as he attempted to board a flight to France.
Following his arrest, Ukrainian authorities sought his extradition, but Finland's Supreme Court denied the request, citing concerns over conditions in Ukrainian prisons and the potential for Torden to face humiliation in custody.
Ukraine's Prosecutor-General's Office hailed the court decision, saying the case "marks a key milestone in holding perpetrators of grave violations of international humanitarian law accountable."
With reporting by Reuters
- By Maja Zivanovic and
- Predrag Zvijerac
Bosnian Serb Leader Dodik Once Again Moves Country Closer To The Brink
Following state prosecutors in Bosnia-Herzegovina ordering the arrest of Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik, Republika Srpska has adopted a draft of a new constitution.
The new constitution would redefine the Serb entity as a state of the Serbian people, grant it the right to self-determination, and establish its own army.
These provisions would be directly in conflict with the Bosnian Constitution and the Dayton peace accords, which established Republika Srpska as one of Bosnia's two entities.
The situation has moved what some call the world’s most-complicated democracy closer to the brink, a place Dodik has brought it to before.
But it wasn’t always that way.
The 66-year-old's political career began in the context of a tumultuous period marked by the breakup of Yugoslavia and the subsequent Bosnian War (1992–1995).
He was elected prime minister of the Republika Srpska -- one of Bosnia-Herzegovina's two entities, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina -- for the first time in 1998 and served until 2001.
A 'Breath Of Fresh Air'
At the time, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called Dodik a “breath of fresh air” and “a gentleman who seems determined to do the right thing in Bosnia.”
His political career has since included various roles, including the presidency of Republika Srpska from 2010 to 2018.
His rise to power is often attributed to his ability to navigate the volatile political landscape, appealing to nationalist sentiments and presenting himself as a strong advocate for Serbian interests in Bosnia.
Dodik was seen a moderate who advocated for cooperation with the international community and a supporter of the peace agreement known as the Dayton Accords.
However, as he consolidated power and faced various challenges, including economic difficulties and ethnic tensions, his stance shifted towards a more nationalist and confrontational rhetoric.
By the mid-2000s, Dodik began to embrace a more populist image, focusing on the assertion of Republika Srpska’s autonomy.
His government made headlines for its increasingly defiant positions against the central authorities in Sarajevo, and he often criticized the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, a position established by the Dayton Agreement to oversee the implementation of peace and reforms.
Dodik's tactics included promoting the idea of a referendum on the independence of Republika Srpska, appealing to a voter base that felt marginalized in the post-war political framework.
Throughout his tenure, Dodik has faced criticism for authoritarian tendencies, undermining democratic institutions, and fostering a culture of political patronage.
His administration has been characterized by a media environment that suppresses dissent and curtails press freedoms.
Supporters argue that he has brought stability and development to the entity, while opponents charge that his leadership has deepened divisions among the country's ethnic communities and eroded the state's institutional integrity.
Over the decades, Dodik has enjoyed support from the Serbian authorities, both current and former.
Asked about his close relationship with Belgrade, Stefan Blagic from ReStart Srpska, which closely follows politics in Republika Srpska, said, "He has always been a virtuoso in that Machiavellian sense."
"That is why he has been swimming for so long and that is why he has outlived other presidents of Serbia in the political sense," Blagic added.
While he is in power, Dodik will have the support of Serbia, whoever is in power in Belgrade, Blagic said.
Support from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, he added, means a lot to the Republika Srpska leadership and also suits Belgrade.
"I don't know what reason they would give each other up," Blagic said.
Nationalist, Populist Realignment
In recent years, as tensions have risen in the Balkans and across Europe, Dodik has increasingly aligned himself with more nationalist and populist governments, reflecting a broader shift in the region.
His rhetoric has often included threats to withdraw Republika Srpska from Bosnia's state institutions, signaling a provocative stance that raises concerns about the potential for renewed conflict. Additionally, he has formed alliances with figures like Vladimir Putin, indicating a shift towards closer ties with Russia.
The Office of the High Representative (OHR) oversees the implementation of civilian aspects of Dayton.
Dodik, who is currently under US and U.K. sanctions for actions that Western governments say are aimed at the secession of Republika Srpska from Bosnia, has refused to implement several orders from the OHR, leading to the current crisis.
- By RFE/RL
China, Iran, Russia Demand End To US Sanctions On Tehran
China, Russia, and Iran demanded an end to Washington's "illegal, unilateral sanctions" on Tehran, after three-party talks on the Iranian nuclear issue in Beijing on March 14.
But a leading sanctions expert involved in past nuclear talks with Iran says lifting sanctions as a precursor to negotiations is neither likely nor advisable.
The meeting included Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
"We conducted in-depth exchanges of views on the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions. We emphasized the necessity of ending all illegal unilateral sanctions," Ma said after the talks concluded.
"The relevant parties should work to eliminate the root causes of the current situation and abandon sanctions, pressure, and threats of the use of force," he added.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who welcomed the Iranian and Russian diplomats ahead of the meeting, was set to have his own meeting with them later during the day.
The Iranian position has been that it will not negotiate with the Trump as long as his "maximum pressure" campaign is in force and sanctions in place.
"I don't think there's any likelihood the Trump administration is going to drop sanctions against Iran just to talk. I wouldn't advise him to," said Richard Nephew, the lead sanctions expert for the US negotiating team that clinched a landmark nuclear deal with Iran in 2015.
"At the end of the day, that's a concession for a talk, as opposed to a concession for actual action," he added.
Tehran and Moscow have strengthened relations in recent years as Iran's disputes with the United States have mounted. Both nations have had close ties to China.
Moscow, which is engaged in efforts to normalize relations with Washington, has offered to mediate talks between the United States and the Islamic republic.
Both China and Russia have benefited from Iran's stand-off with the United States. China has been buying Iranian oil at a sharp discount while Russia has been using Iranian drones against Ukraine. But if tension with the United States spirals, it may have consequences that both Moscow and Beijing would want to avoid.
"I'm not sure that the Russians or the Chinese each have an interest in a deal. I think they have an interest in not having a bigger crisis," Nephew said.
This week, the three countries conducted naval drills in the Gulf of Oman near the strategic Strait of Hormuz in a show of force in the tense Middle East, with participating ships stopping at Iran's Chabahar Port.
Attention on Iran's nuclear issues has intensified in recent days after US President Donald Trump said he had sent a letter to Tehran urging a resumption of nuclear talks and warning of possible military action if Iran refused.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry on March 13 said it would conduct a "thorough assessment" before responding to Trump's letter.
"The letter was received last night and is currently being reviewed," spokesman Esmail Baqaei was quoted by the official IRNA news agency, adding: "A decision on how to respond will be made after a thorough assessment."
Trump, during his first term, quit the nuclear deal, which had imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. Trump said the accord was not strong enough to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and he accused Tehran of fomenting extremist violence in the region -- a charge denied by Iran.
China, Russia, Britain, France, and Germany had also signed the nuclear deal with Iran in 2015.
Following the US withdrawal in 2018, Tehran eventually started expanding its nuclear program, while efforts to reach a new accord through indirect talks have failed. Tehran claims its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes.
Iran has floated the possibility of resuming indirect talks, but Nephew dismissed its viability.
"To be clear, I think indirect talks have been a disaster. It has been both a strategic mistake...as well as something that actually limits the possibility of negotiations being successful," he said, adding that Trump's letter was unlikely to change the Iranian position.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) nations -- the United States, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan -- labeled Iran the "principal source of regional instability" in a joint statement on March 14.
They said Tehran "must never be allowed" to develop and acquire nuclear weapons, adding, "Iran must now change course, de-escalate and choose diplomacy."
The United States said on March 13 that it was sanctioning Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and a number of Hong Kong-flagged ships that are part of a shadow fleet "on which Iran depends to deliver its oil" to China. Tehran blasted the move, calling it "'hypocrisy."
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
- By Nathan Hodge
What Putin Really Means When He Talks About Long-Term Peace
Russian President Vladimir Putin buried the lead about whether he would agree to a US-brokered proposal for a 30-day cease-fire in Ukraine.
Asked during a joint news conference on March 13 with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko how he viewed Ukraine’s willingness to take part in a cease-fire, the Kremlin leader gave a heavily qualified answer.
“We agree with the proposals to stop the hostilities, but we proceed from the fact that this cessation should be such that it would lead to long-term peace and eliminate the original causes of this crisis,” he said.
Putin then embarked on a lengthy digression about the military situation in Russia’s Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces invaded seven months ago but have lost substantial ground in recent days.
The Russian Defense Ministry has claimed control there of the town of Sudzha, and Putin boasted in the news conference that Russian forces had “complete isolation and complete fire control” over Ukrainian forces in the region.
Ukraine’s top commander said this week that Kyiv’s troops were “maneuvering to more favorable positions if necessary” – which experts said signaled a partial or possible complete withdrawal from the region.
That situation remains fluid, but Putin on March 12 used the opportunity to travel to the region -- conspicuously, and unusually, wearing military garb -- to strike the pose of a wartime leader.
That visit sent a bellicose signal to Washington. But in his remarks on March 13, Putin was slightly more conciliatory.
“The idea itself [of a cease-fire] is correct, and we certainly support it, but there are issues that we must discuss,” he said.
“I think that we need to talk to our American colleagues and partners about this, maybe call President [Donald] Trump and discuss it together," he said. "But the idea itself of ending this conflict by peaceful means is supported by us.”
The devil, of course, is in the details.
And it remains to be seen what concrete issues Putin wants to raise with Trump, who said he hoped Russia would "do the right thing" and agree to the deal. He also described Putin's comments as "promising" but incomplete.
“Putin’s position today rejects an unconditional cease-fire -- an uncomfortable stance that risks angering Trump and hindering the otherwise promising prospects of normalizing bilateral relations,” Tatyana Stanovaya, a veteran Russian political analyst, wrote in a post to X.
“However, this rejection is not absolute; he outlines his demands. His key condition is that a cease-fire must serve as a stepping stone to substantive talks on the root causes of the conflict -- Ukraine must agree to discuss an 'Istanbul Plus' framework, which Russia views as a path to Kyiv’s capitulation," she wrote.
“Istanbul Plus” is a reference to the 2022 negotiations that Russia and Ukraine held in the few weeks after the beginning of the all-out invasion, in February 2022. The negotiations led a framework agreement that observers say would have amounted to all-out capitulation by Ukraine.
“Putin also requires commitments from the US to halt military supplies, while Kyiv must pledge not to fortify its defense lines or use the pause for rearmament. Zelensky’s legitimacy must also be addressed,” she wrote, referring to recurring Kremlin assertions that the Ukrainian leader lacks legitimacy because martial law has prevented Ukraine from holding new elections.
Prominent Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza was more blunt, and he suggested that Putin—a former top officer with the KGB and its successor, the FSB -- had inadvertently let slip a fundamental truth.
“The main ‘root cause’ is an old, deranged KGB officer in the Kremlin who views the collapse of the Soviet empire as ‘the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century,’ calls his opponents ‘national traitors’ and Ukraine ‘an artificial state,’ and idolizes Stalin and Andropov’,” Kara-Murza wrote in a post to X.
Andropov is a reference to Yury Andropov, who headed the Soviet-era KGB until becoming the Soviet Union's leader in 1982.
“Without ‘eliminating’ this ‘root cause’ there will not be peace not only in Ukraine, but in Europe as a whole," Kara-Murza wrote.
The next step in the process, then, may happen on a more personal level when Trump and Putin take up the conversation.
- By RFE/RL
Putin Says Russia Agrees With US Cease-Fire Proposal But 'With Nuances'
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agrees in principle with the US proposal for a temporary cease-fire with Ukraine, but added that "there are nuances," such as Western weapons deliveries to Kyiv, that he wants addressed first.
The Russian leader also said any agreement should lead to long-term peace that address the "root" reasons for the war, a likely reference to NATO expansion.
"We agree with the proposal to stop the fighting. But we proceed from the fact that this cessation should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of this crisis," Putin said in his first public comments about how he assessed the US proposal for a cease-fire.
"We are for [a cease-fire], but there are nuances," Putin added during a March 13 press conference in Moscow with Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Putin is facing a dilemma after delegations from Kyiv and Washington agreed earlier this week at a meeting in Saudi Arabia to a 30-day cease-fire proposed by US President Donald Trump, putting the onus for peace in Moscow's lap.
"I think the Russians are keen not to be seen as the intransigent party as that could lead to consequences from Trump, such as sanctions. So that informed Putin's comments today," John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank, told RFE/RL.
Putin was set to meet Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to discuss the cease-fire proposal. Following Putin's comments, Trump said he hoped Russia would "do the right thing" and agree to the deal. He described Putin's comments as "promising" but incomplete.
Trump on March 13 said during a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte that Witkoff was engaged in "very serious discussions" in Moscow. The president added he "getting word of things going OK in Russia." Witkoff's exact scheduled was not disclosed.
In his daily nighttime address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Putin is preparing to reject the cease-fire proposal but is scared to say this directly to Trump.
Trump has made ending Russia's more than three-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine a top priority since taking office for a second term less than two months ago, and is wielding US leverage to get both Kyiv and Moscow to the table.
The US president on March 12 threatened to impose more sanctions on Russia if it did not agree to the cease-fire. However, Trump did not give a time frame for Putin to agree to his proposal or say whether he would be willing to negotiate with Putin on the "nuances."
The Russian leader said there were several unanswered questions in the proposal, such as what to do about Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region.
"If we have a cease-fire, does that mean that everyone there would leave?" Putin said. "Should we release them [Ukrainian troops] after they committed crimes against the population? Or would they surrender?"
Ukraine denies committing such crimes, saying it abides by humanitarian law and does not target civilians.
Kyiv seized a swath of the Kursk region in a stealth incursion in August, a move seen as an effort to divert Russian forces from eastern Ukraine and use the territory as a bargaining chip in any peace talks.
That strategy is now failing as Russian forces supported by North Korean troops push the Ukrainians out of Kursk. Russia has regained more than half the territory in Kursk initially captured by Ukraine.
Putin, who visited Kursk yesterday for the first time since the August push, said the situation in the region is now "totally under our control."
He said the Ukrainians escape route is completely under Russian fire and that if his forces are able to physically block the route, Ukrainian troops in Kursk will only have two options: surrender or be killed.
Among the other concerns the Russian leader voiced about the cease-fire proposal is whether Ukraine would use the 30-day period to mobilize and train forces or rearm with the help of the West. He also raised the question of how the nearly 2,000-kilometer front would be monitored.
"Who will determine where and who violated the possible cease-fire agreement?" he said.
Experts had warned that Putin would likely seek to drag out cease-fire talks because his forces have the upper hand on the battlefield.
Aside from the advances in Kursk, Russia is gaining territory in eastern Ukraine -- albeit at high human and material costs -- due to its significant manpower advantage.
Russia is seeking to capture at a minimum the entirety of the four regions of Ukraine it claims to have annexed in November 2022: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson. A cease-fire now would leave them short of that goal.
"One way the Russians could slow down this process without coming out directly and saying 'no', is by dragging out those technical discussions on monitoring" the cease-fire, Hardie said.
"That could also give them ways to try to pin the blame back on Ukraine, by insisting on certain technical matters that Ukraine might find objectionable," he said.
Hardie said Trump could increase pressure on Putin by sanctioning more Russian oil tankers, commonly called the "shadow fleet." Oil exports accounts for about a third of Russia's federal budget revenue.
On March 13, US administration heightened pressure on Russia by increasing restrictions on the country's oil, gas, and banking sectors.
Among the measures, the Treasury Department was letting expire a 60-day exemption put in place in January by the Biden administration that allowed some energy transactions involving sanctioned Russian banks to continue. The latest move would make it more difficult for other nations to buy Russian oil.
Another option would be threatening secondary sanctions on countries like India, China, and Turkey that buy Russian oil above the price cap the West imposed on Russia oil of $60 a barrel.
"If Trump really wants to squeeze the Russian revenue, he could do it that way," Hardie said.
Armenia, Azerbaijan Finalize Peace Agreement But Hurdles Remain
Armenia and Azerbaijan, have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s, have finalized the text of a long-awaited peace agreement aimed at establishing formal relations, marking a significant step toward ending decades of hostilities.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on March 13 that Yerevan has accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals on two remaining uncoordinated articles of the agreement, effectively concluding negotiations on the text. It has proposed consultations with Azerbaijan on a signing date and venue.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian told journalists in Yerevan shortly after the ministry's announcement that the draft peace treaty is a compromise and that his country is ready to start consultations on the timing of signing the treaty.
"We have no secrets from our society in that text which, in fact, article by article was published separately. I don’t think it can be said that the society is not familiar with the content," Pashinian said, stressing that Armenia and Azerbaijan will not deploy foreign forces along the border after signing the treaty.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov told reporters on March 13 that "the negotiation process over the peace treaty text has officially concluded," adding that "the last two unresolved clauses have been addressed, with Armenia accepting Azerbaijan’s proposals."
Despite the breakthrough, Azerbaijan maintains that the treaty cannot be signed until Armenia revises its constitution and legal framework to remove any references to territorial claims over regions inside Azerbaijan, a reference mainly to Nagorno-Karabakh.
"This is a necessary precondition for signing the peace agreement," Bayramov said.
Years Of Negotiation
The latest development follows years of negotiations over a lasting peace deal.
Nagorno-Karabakh, home to a significant Armenian population, had been under the control of ethnic Armenian authorities since the early 1990s following a devastating war between the two neighbors after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After a brief but intense Azerbaijani military offensive in September 2023, the separatist leadership surrendered and the region, now officially called Karabakh, was reintegrated into Azerbaijan.
The war led to the mass exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians from the region, effectively ending decades of separatist rule.
In the wake of the latest war over the region, Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed negotiations on a peace treaty to formally recognize each other’s territorial integrity and establish diplomatic relations.
One of the key stumbling blocks in the negotiations has been Armenia’s legal position regarding Nagorno-Karabakh's status as an Azerbaijani territory.
Baku has long argued that Armenia’s constitution includes implicit territorial claims over Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijani officials insist that this must be amended before the treaty can be signed.
- By RFE/RL
Kremlin Aide Rejects Any Temporary Cease-Fire As US Negotiators Arrive In Moscow
A senior aide to President Vladimir Putin has rejected any temporary cease-fire with Ukraine just hours before a US delegation arrived in Russia for talks with Moscow where they will urge the Kremlin to agree to a 30-day cease-fire proposal or face sanctions.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said in an interview broadcast on state television on March 13 that U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed cease-fire, which Kyiv has agreed to, would only give Ukraine time to recover from pressure Russia has been exerting on its troops.
"I have stated our position that this is nothing other than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more," said Ushakov, Ushakov, who has more than half a century of involvement in diplomacy and is considered to be the Kremlin's chief foreign policy adviser.
He added that he had laid out Moscow's position in a phone call to US national-security adviser Mike Waltz a day earlier.
"It seems to me that no one needs any steps that (merely) imitate peaceful actions in this situation," he said, noting that Russia wants a long-term settlement that addresses its interests and concerns into account.
During a March 12 White House meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Trump expressed confidence about securing a cease-fire for Ukraine and said that U.S. negotiators were “traveling to Russia right now, as we speak.”
On March 13, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the US team reportedly headed up by Trump's special envoy. The state news agency TASS later reported that the envoy, Steve Witkoff, had arrived in Moscow.
Trump had earlier told reporters that Russia "has no way out but cease-fire. If needed, we will sanction it, but I hope we won't need to."
The US President has made ending Russia's more than three-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine a top priority since taking office for a second term less than two months ago, quickly dispatching his top officials to Moscow and Kyiv to prepare the groundwork for peace talks.
His latest comments on the war come after Kyiv agreed to the temporary cease-fire plan following nine hours of talks with Trump administration officials in Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, it is unclear how interested Russia is in the idea, with Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to speak on Ukraine on March 13 after talks with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
"Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X on March 13.
"This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible. We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war," he added.
Putin Visits Kursk
As Trump spoke at the White House, Russian President Vladimir Putin was donning combat fatigues for a visit to troops in Russia's Kursk region, where fierce fighting is currently taking place and Moscow's forces are advancing.
Ukraine seized a swath of the Kursk region in a stealth incursion in August, a move seen as an effort to divert Russian forces from eastern Ukraine and use the territory as a bargaining chip in any peace talks.
That strategy is now at risk of failing as Russian forces slowly push the Ukrainians out of Kursk, having retaken more than half the territory initially captured by Ukraine.
During his visit to Kursk -- his only visit since the incursion began -- Putin urged his troops to retake the region in its entirety "as soon as possible."
He also said that captured Ukrainian soldiers would be treated as "terrorists."
In an interview with Current Time, the editor in chief of Novaya Gazeta Evropa, Kirill Martynov, said that the US proposal of a cease-fire free of additional conditions had angered pro-war elements in Russian society, including so called “Z-Channels” on Telegram.
Putin’s appearance in military garb was a response, said Martynov, and a way of showing this “more aggressive group of citizens” that “everything is under control, and he continues to wage war.”
“Absolutely in his style, after the situation has improved [in the Kursk region], he appears and takes credit for what is happening,” Martynov said.
Unconfirmed reports on March 12 indicated that Ukraine has begun to draw back units as Russian officials claimed their troops had captured more settlements, including Sudzha, the largest settlement that Ukraine had taken in the offensive.
Ukraine's top military commander, General Oleksandr Syrskiy, said that fighting continued in and around Sudzha.
"Despite increased pressure from the Russian and North Korean forces, we will maintain the defense of the Kursk region as long as it is appropriate and necessary," Syrskiy wrote on Telegram.
In a Facebook post, Syrskiy said that saving soldiers lives is a priority and that Ukrainian troops would "maneuver to more favorable positions, if necessary," wording often used to describe a retreat.
Concessions?
Trump has so far used Washington's significant leverage over Ukraine -- namely military aid and intelligence sharing -- to get Kyiv to agree to the cease-fire proposal, which, if implemented, would leave almost 20 percent of the country in Russia's hands for the time being at least.
The United States announced after the talks in Saudi Arabia that it would immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and restore military aid to Ukraine, which could be a boost to Ukrainian forces, whose battlefield positions have been under heavy pressure, particularly in Kursk.
Trump lacks that kind of leverage with Russia, which has navigated sweeping US and European sanctions placed on its economy following the invasion much better than most experts forecasted.
Putin may seek to drag out talks with Washington over a cease-fire to improve Russia's position on the battlefield, experts say, and hence at the negotiating table when and if Moscow and Kyiv hammer out a peace deal.
Trump has also hinted that Ukraine would have to make concessions on land, something more and more experts say is inevitable given Russia's momentum on the battlefield.
"When we talk cease-fire [with Ukraine], we talked land, who's withdrawing -- we discussed a lot of things [with Ukraine]," Trump said.
"We don't want to waste time, people are dying. Russia is not in the best situation now. I hope [Putin] gets a cease-fire."
Trump has said fresh sanctions could do "very unpleasant, very bad things, devastating for Russia," but has offered few details.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the cease-fire proposal and said he hoped it would be used as a draft for a lasting peace deal that included security guarantees for Ukraine.
"It's now up to Russia what is next," he said at a March 12 press conference, and whether "it wants to continue its aggression against Ukraine or not."
Moscow has so far declined to comment on the specifics of the proposal for the 30-day cease-fire.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was "carefully studying" the joint US-Ukraine statement issued following the Jeddah talks and will wait to comment until Russian negotiators receive more detailed information from Washington.
Reaction on the streets of Moscow, however, was mixed, with one man saying that "agreeing to a truce now, when the enemy is weakened, is completely inappropriate and wrong."
But others welcomed the news. "We just want this to end as soon as possible so that people stop dying," said one woman in the Russian capital. "So many have already perished."
Meanwhile, on the streets of Kyiv, some Ukrainians told RFE/RL's Current Time that they doubted whether Russia would sign on to, and adhere to, a cease-fire deal.
"I'm not sure what to say, but it all seems implausible, frankly speaking," said one Kyiv man, while a woman in the capital said the cease-fire talks were "meaningless without Russia taking part."
Fate Of More Than 100 Pakistani Train Hostages Unknown Amid Contradictory Claims
Pakistani military sources claim to have “neutralized” the militants responsible for hijacking a passenger train in southwestern Pakistan with more than 400 people on board but doubts persists amid the lack of independent verification and counterclaims by the fighters.
Late on March 12, military sources told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal that it had killed at least 32 militants in and around the hijacked train in Bolan, a rural district some 160 kilometers from Quetta, the provincial capital of the restive province of Balochistan.
The sources said 18 soldiers were killed in the fighting.
But the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist organization that accepted responsibility for hijacking the Jaffar Express on March 11, claimed its militants were still engaged in fighting and holding more than 100 hostages. The BLA said its fighters had killed more than 50 hostages.
With more than 400 passengers on board, the Jaffar Express was on its way from Quetta to Peshawar in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province when it was stopped by militants who blew up the train tracks. The bold attack represented the first time the BLA had hijacked a train, a sign it is escalating its fight with Islamabad.
The BLA, designated as terrorists by the United States, has warned that it will kill the remaining 150 hostages if Islamabad fails to respond to its prisoner exchange offer within the next day.
RFE/RL could not independently verify claims by Pakistani authorities and the separatist militants in the sparsely populated region that is inaccessible to journalists.
The AFP news agency quoted an unnamed military official who claimed that all the hostages were freed. The official told the news outlet that 28 soldiers were killed in the siege, adding that"346 hostages were freed, and over 30 terrorists were killed during the operation," the officer said.
Earlier, Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, called the attack an "act of terrorism." He said helicopters were supporting security forces in countering the militants in the remote mountainous region.
On March 11, the BLA said it freed up to 150 people, including women, children, the elderly, and members of the minority Baluch ethnic group.
A passenger on the train told RFE/RL via telephone that the security forces had launched ground and air operations against the armed group while the militants were using weapons and rockets in response.
Muhammad Kashif, a spokesman for the Balochistan Regional Railways Department, told RFE/RL that the train had a total of nine carriages and was attacked as it passed through a tunnel in the remote, mountainous area.
The train came to a stop after the attack and remained inside the tunnel, Kashif said, estimating the train had been carrying 400-500 passengers.
“This is a significant escalation and indicates more violence in the future,” said Imtiaz Baloch, an analyst covering Balochistan for Khorasan Diary, a website tracking militant groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Balochistan, a vast and resource-rich province, has been plagued by insurgency for over two decades. The BLA and allied Baluch separatist groups seek independence from Islamabad.
Baluch nationalists blame Pakistan for committing grave rights abuses while countering the separatists. They criticize Islamabad for exploiting its vast natural resources without benefiting the locals.
Islamabad has outlawed the BLA and other separatist groups for their violent attacks on security forces and civilians.
Baloch says Islamabad has been pursuing "hard-line state policies, including forced disappearances, political engineering, and election rigging," which has resulted in bad governance in the marginalized province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
The province has been a recipient of Chinese investments in energy and infrastructure. Since the turn of the century, Beijing has sought to develop Balochistan’s Gwadar port as a lynchpin of its efforts to create a new trade route with the Middle East.
The BLA has been ramping up attacks during the past few years and has adopted suicide bombings as a lethal tactic to target Pakistani security forces and Chinese personnel.
In November, the BLA carried out a suicide bombing at a Quetta train station, killing 26 people, including military personnel, railway workers, and passengers.
With reporting by AP, AFP and Reuters
UAE Delegate Delivers Letter From Trump To Khamenei, Iran Says
Iran said a delegation led by a senior Emirati figure has delivered a letter from US President Donald Trump to the Islamic republic's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told the semiofficial ISNA news agency on March 12 that Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, had delivered the letter.
Trump said last week that he had written to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proposing talks to reach a deal over Tehran’s expanding nuclear program.
"We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon," he said, adding that "something is going to happen very soon."
"Hopefully we will have a peace deal," he said, apparently meaning a peaceful resolution of tension over Tehran's nuclear program. "I’m just saying I’d rather see a peace deal than the other. But the other will solve the problem.”
Khamenei has opposed talks direct talks with the Trump administration and said after the president’s announcement last week that Tehran would not negotiate with “bullying governments.”
"Such negotiations aren’t aimed at solving issues. Their aim is to exert their dominance and impose what they want," Khamenei said during a Ramadan speech on March 8.
Without explicitly naming the US, he said “bullying governments” are not only focused on Iran’s nuclear program but also “make new demands” targeting the Islamic republic's defensive capabilities and regional activities.
“Negotiations are a means to impose new demands. Iran will definitely not fulfill these new demands,” Khamenei said.
The Iranian leader has accused Trump of being untrustworthy after US president withdrew the US from a landmark nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions that had been lifted under its terms.
After abrogating the accord in 2018, Trump welcomed an offer by Japan's then-prime minister, Shinzo Abe, to mediate and in 2019 asked the Japanese premier to deliver a letter to Khamenei. The Iranian leader rejected the letter, saying it was "not worthy" of a response.
Russia, which is one of the signatories to the original nuclear deal, has expressed an interest in mediating talks between Tehran and Washington, though many have questioned whether Moscow can be an impartial broker.
Referencing Moscow’s talks with Washington, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on March 12 said the Iranian nuclear program has been discussed and that Trump has made Tehran ending its support for its proxies a “precondition for a new nuclear deal.”
Meanwhile, China has announced that it will host a trilateral meeting with Iran and Russia on March 14 to “exchange views on the Iranian nuclear issue,” among other topics.
Bosnian Prosecutor's Office Issues Arrest Warrant For Nationalist Leader Dodik
Bosnia-Herzegovina's Prosecutor's Office has issued arrest warrants for Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and other leaders of the country's Serb entity, Republika Srpska, for ignoring a court summons and "threatening the constitutional order," a move the nationalist politician dismissed as politically motivated.
Prosecutors said on March 12 warrants were also issued for the entity's prime minister, Radovan Viskovic, and parliament speaker Nenad Stevandic.
The furor around Dodik has ignited a major political crisis in the EU membership hopeful, which is often referred to as the world's most complex democracy.
Speaking to reporters in the regional capital, Banja Luka, Dodik repeated he would not respond to any summons for questioning, accusing the court and the Prosecutor's Office of heading up an "inquisition."
"We will not respond.... If they think the solution is to see Dodik in handcuffs, that is their perogative, but that does not mean they can do it. I will do my job and I will never leave Republika Srpska," Dodik said at a press conference
The arrest warrants were issued on the same day Republika Srpska's parliament was scheduled to discuss a draft constitution that seeks to redefine the entity's official status as a state of the Serbian people, grant it the right to self-determination, and establish its own army.
It also would abolish Republika Srpska's Council of Peoples, which oversees decisions made by Bosnia's parliament and has a veto right.
Zeljko Dragojevic, director of the Republika Srpska Court Police, said his team neither received nor could receive the order to arrest the entity's leadership, as this falls under the jurisdiction of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and the federal Court Police.
Since the Dayton peace agreement, which was signed in 1995 and ended the war in Bosnia, the country has consisted of the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the ethnic Serb-dominated Republika Srpska under a weak central government.
While Republika Srpska can pass laws on internal matters, state-level laws and institutions remain supreme according to the constitution.
The Office of the High Representative (OHR) oversees the implementation of civilian aspects of Dayton. Dodik, who is currently under US and U.K. sanctions for actions that Western governments say are aimed at the secession of Republika Srpska from Bosnia, has refused to implement several orders from the OHR.
Adopting a draft constitution would mark another secessionist move by the entity's authorities. This follows the recent enforcement of laws prohibiting the operation of the federal judicial and investigative bodies within Republika Srpska territory.
The crisis in Bosnia has been deepening for weeks after Dodik was sentenced in late February to one year in prison and a six-year ban on political activities for disregarding the decisions of the OHR.
Dodik signed into law on March 5 the laws adopted by the entity's parliament that banned the operation of federal judicial and investigative institutions in the entity.
Two days later, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina temporarily suspended the laws, ruling they violated the constitution. Dodik, however, declared the laws would be enforced despite the court's decision.
The recent developments in Republika Srpska have sparked widespread international condemnation.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and various foreign embassies in Bosnia have expressed concern over the situation.
- By Mike Eckel
Kremlin Says It's Waiting For Details Of Ukraine Cease-Fire Deal
Russia reacted cautiously to a proposed cease-fire agreement announced by Ukrainian and US negotiators and held out the possibility of a phone call between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in the coming days.
Speaking a day after the deal was announced, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on March 12 that Russian officials were "carefully studying" the announcement but waiting to hear more details from US negotiators before commenting further.
Meanwhile, reaction on the streets of Moscow was mixed, with one man saying that "agreeing to a truce now, when the enemy is weakened, is completely inappropriate and wrong."
But others welcomed the news. "We just want this to end as soon as possible so that people stop dying," said one woman in the Russian capital. "So many have already perished."
The agreement, reached in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11 specifically called for a 30-day cease-fire between Kyiv and Moscow, though it noted that would be subject to Russia's approval. It also said Washington had agreed to resume sharing intelligence with Ukrainian planners and shipments of weapons and equipment.
The US suspension of weapons and intelligence sharing with Kyiv came after a contentious meeting at the White House on February 28 in which Trump and US Vice President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"We'll take this offer now to the Russians, and we hope that they'll say yes, that they'll say yes to peace," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Jeddah. "The ball is now in their court."
Mike Waltz, the White House national-security adviser, was scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart this week, and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff also planned to travel to Moscow, possibly to meet Putin.
Russia's Foreign Ministry made no comment, though a spokeswoman said talks with US representatives were possible in the coming days.
Kremlin-linked commentators, meanwhile, portrayed the agreement as a positive outcome for Russia. Konstantin Kosachev, a lawmaker in Russia's upper house of parliament, asserted that the results of the talks were strictly American, and argued they showed Zelenskyy’s weakness.
"Russia is advancing, and therefore it will be different with Russia," he said in a Telegram post.
"Any agreements (with all understanding of the need for compromise) will be on our terms, not American," he said. "And this is not boasting, but an understanding that real agreements are still being written there, on the front line. Which Washington should also understand."
"The most important thing is not to interfere with Russian-American negotiations with third-party comments. Let the negotiators work," he wrote. "Victory will be ours."
Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said Russian officials might respond with a counteroffer: a suspension on Western weapons supplies to Kyiv for the same 30-day period, from the United States and from European allies as well.
"Europe must support the truce in Ukraine not with words, but with deeds -- an embargo on arms supplies to the conflict zone is a well-known formula in diplomacy," he said in a post to Telegram.
Though Washington is the biggest single supplier of weaponry to Ukraine, European allies collectively provide as much weapons and other equipment.
Jailed Former Georgian President Saakashvili Gets Additional 9 Years In Prison
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been sentenced to an additional nine years in prison for the large-scale embezzlement of public funds, a charge he calls politically motivated.
The sentence was handed down by Judge Badri Kochlamazashvili of the Tbilisi City Court on March 12 and will be served concurrently with the six-year prison term he is already serving for abuse of power.
After the judge announced his decision, a commotion erupted in the courtroom with Saakashvili's supporters calling the judge a "slave" of the government.
Alongside Saakashvili, the court also sentenced Temur Janashia, the former head of the Special State Guarding Service. He was handed a fine of 300,000 laris ($106,760) for abuse of power.
Both Saakashvili, who was president from 2003 to 2013, and Janashia have consistently denied the charges.
Their steadfast denial, echoed by the opposition United National Movement and several other political groups, has garnered sympathy and support, with many arguing the case was driven by political retribution.
Saakashvili's presidency was marked by ambitious reforms to curb corruption and modernize the country, including significant changes in the police force and the judiciary.
After leaving office, he became involved in Ukrainian politics, serving as the governor of Odesa from 2015 to 2016 before falling out with Ukrainian authorities.
He was arrested in Georgia on October 1, 2021, after secretly returning to the country ahead of local elections.
He had been convicted in absentia on charges related to abuse of power, including granting a presidential pardon to individuals involved in the murder of banker Sandro Girgvliani and the beating of opposition lawmaker Valeri Gelashvili.
Since his arrest, he has been held in detention and is currently receiving medical treatment at the Vivamedi Clinic.
The prosecution accused Saakashvili and Janashia of misappropriating 9 million laris ($3.2 million) in public funds.
The judge ruled that while Janashia's actions did not constitute direct embezzlement, Saakashvili was guilty of misusing state resources for personal expenses.
Attendees at the court session also shouted "Bidzina's puppet!"in a reference to former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, whom many opposition supporters accuse of orchestrating politically motivated trials.
Several individuals, including activist Zviad Kuprava, were removed from the courtroom for disrupting the proceedings.
Saakashvili had requested to be present at his sentencing but cited health concerns for failing to show up.
He had previously urged the ruling Georgian Dream party to postpone the pronouncement of the verdict and the sentence.
However, Kochlamazashvili stated that the trial could not be delayed indefinitely, emphasizing a defendant's absence does not prevent the court from issuing a ruling.
In addition to his latest conviction, Saakashvili remains embroiled in two other ongoing trials. One of these concerns the events of November 7, 2007, when his government dispersed anti-government protests in Tbilisi.
The second trial involves charges of illegal border crossing related to his secret return to Georgia in 2021. Saakashvili entered the country hidden in a truck, bypassing border controls, which prosecutors argue was a violation of Georgian law.
The cases continue to fuel political tensions in Georgia, with his supporters claiming they are part of an effort to permanently keep him out of the political arena.
- By RFE/RL
Trump Warns Russia Of Sanctions As Moscow Considers Cease-Fire Deal
US President Donald Trump has urged Russia to agree to a 30-day cease-fire, warning he would slap additional sanctions on the country if it refused the US proposal, as Moscow made more gains on the battlefield.
"Russia has no way out but cease-fire. If needed we will sanction it, but I hope we won't need to," Trump told reporters at the White House on March 12.
"In a financial sense we can do very unpleasant, very bad things, devastating for Russia, but I don't want to," he said.
His comments come a day after Kyiv agreed to the temporary cease-fire following nine hours of talks with Trump administration officials in Saudi Arabia.
Trump has made ending Russia's more than three-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine a top priority since taking office for a second term less than two months ago, quickly dispatching his top officials to Moscow and Kyiv to prepare the groundwork for peace talks.
He has used Washington's significant leverage over Ukraine -- namely military aid and intelligence sharing -- to get Kyiv to agree to the cease-fire proposal, which if implemented, would leave almost 20 percent of the country in Russia's hands for the time being, at least.
But Trump lacks that type of leverage with Russia, which has navigated sweeping US and European sanctions placed on its economy following the invasion much better than most experts forecasted.
Putin may seek to drag out talks with the US over a cease-fire to improve Russia's position on the battlefield and hence at the negotiating table when and if Moscow and Kyiv hammer out a peace deal.
As Trump spoke at the White House, Putin was visiting troops in Russia's Kursk region, where fierce fighting is currently taking place and Moscow's forces are advancing.
Ukraine seized a swath of the Kursk region in a stealth incursion in August seen as an effort to divert Russian forces from eastern Ukraine and use the territory as a bargaining chip during any peace talks.
That strategy is now at risk of failing as Russian forces slowly push the Ukrainians out of Kursk. Russians forces have retaken more than half the territory initially captured by Ukraine.
Putin's visit to Kursk was his first since the incursion and signals the momentum Russia has in that theater of the war. The Kremlin leader urged his troops to retake the region in its entirety "as soon as possible."
Ukraine's top military commander, General Oleksandr Syrskiy, said that fighting continued in and around Sudzha, the largest town in the part of the region that Ukraine occupied.
Unconfirmed reports on March 12 indicated that Ukraine has begun to draw back units as Russian officials claimed their troops had captured more settlements, including Sudzha.
"Despite increased pressure from the Russian and North Korean forces, we will maintain the defense of the Kursk region as long as it is appropriate and necessary," Syrskiy wrote on Telegram.
In a Facebook post, Syrskiy said that saving soldiers lives is a priority and that Ukrainian troops "maneuver to more favorable positions, if necessary," wording often used top describe a retreat.
Concessions?
Trump hinted that Ukraine would have to make concessions on land, something more and more experts say is inevitable given Russia's momentum on the battlefield.
"When we talk cease-fire [with Ukraine], we talked land, who's withdrawing -- we discussed a lot of things [with Ukraine]," Trump said.
"We don't want to waste time, people are dying. Russia is not in the best situation now. I hope [Putin] gets a cease-fire."
Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the cease-fire proposal and said he hoped it would be used as a draft for a lasting peace deal that included security guarantees for Ukraine.
"It's now up to Russia what is next," he said at a March 12 press conference, and whether "it wants to continue its aggression against Ukraine or not."
On the streets of Kyiv, some Ukrainians told RFE/RL's Current Time that they doubted whether Russia would sign on to, and adhere to, a cease-fire deal.
"I'm not sure what to say, but it all seems implausible, frankly speaking," said one Kyiv man, while a woman in the capital said the cease-fire talks were "meaningless without Russia taking part."
Moscow has so far declined to comment on the specifics of the proposal for the 30-day cease-fire, and it's unclear whether Putin has made up his mind on the agreement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was "carefully studying" the joint US-Ukraine statement issued following the Jeddah talks and will wait to comment until Russian negotiators receive more detailed information from Washington. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who represented the United States at the talks, said Washington "will have contact with Russians" today.
Trump on March 11 said he would soon speak with Putin to secure his commitment. Mike Waltz, the White House national-security adviser, spoke with his Russian counterpart on March 12, while Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff also planned to travel to Moscow, possibly to meet Putin.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe held a phone call with Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, late on March 11, the Interfax news agency reported.
Rubio told reporters on March 12 in first comments since leaving the talks in Jeddah that the United States hoped to have a positive answer from Russia toward the cease-fire deal and "strongly urge[s] Russians to end all hostilities.”
Konstantin Kosachev, an influential lawmaker in Russia's upper house of parliament, seemed to imply that Moscow would not simply accept the US-backed ceasefire proposal but attach conditions, taking into account that Russian forces have the momentum on the battlefield.
"Russia is advancing, and therefore it will be different with Russia," Kosachyov said in a Telegram post.
"Any agreements (with all understanding of the need for compromise) will be on our terms, not American," he said. "And this is not boasting, but an understanding that real agreements are still being written there, on the front line. Which Washington should also understand."
Rubio also said Ukraine will need a strong deterrent to prevent future attacks and that Europeans will "need to be involved in this regard." He added that further discussions would need to tackle to topic of the European Union lifting sanctions on the Russian economy.
"I would imagine that in any negotiation, if we get there, hopefully with the Russians, they will raise these European sanctions that have been imposed upon them," Rubio said.
Moscow has so far been against a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated Russia's position during an interview with three right-wing US bloggers that it will under no conditions accept the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine.
Minerals Deal
Washington and Kyiv could sign a framework agreement as early as this week on sharing the revenue generated from Ukraine's mineral resources.
Trump and Zelenskyy intended to sign the deal during their meeting at the Oval Office on February 28. However, the two got into a heated, public exchange over security guarantees for Ukraine and the meeting was abruptly ended without any deal.
Rubio cautioned that he "would not couch [the] minerals deal as a security guarantee." But he added that "if the United States has a vested economic interest that’s generating revenue for our people as well as for the people of Ukraine, we’d have a vested interest in protecting it if it were to be challenged or threatened."
The parade of comments come after Russia and Ukraine traded air attacks overnight just hours after Kyiv agreed to accept the cease-fire proposal.
Two Russian missile strikes hit the central Ukrainian city of Kryviy Rih on March 12, killing one person, while a separate attack killed four crew members of a cargo ship near the southern port city of Odesa.
Russia's Defense Ministry said its air-defense systems shot down six drones overnight on March 12, one over Ukraine's Russia-annexed Crimea and five over the Black Sea. The Krymsky Veter Telegram channel reported loud explosions and air-raid sirens over Crimean towns and near Russian military sites.
The United States announced after the talks in Saudi Arabia that it would immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and restore military aid to Ukraine, which could be a boost to Ukrainian forces. Ukraine's battlefield positions have been under heavy pressure, particularly in Russia's Kursk region.
EU Sanctions Deadlock? Hungary And Slovakia Pressure Brussels Over Russia Blacklist
At the end of January 2025, Hungary threatened to veto a six-month-extension of all the European Union’s economic sanctions imposed on Russia since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began three years ago.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
The measures -- which included bans on importing Russian coal, diamond, gold, and aluminum -- were finally extended after Budapest obtained some written assurances from the other EU member states.
While Hungary failed to achieve its ultimate goal -- resuming Russian gas transit through Ukraine, which Kyiv halted at the start of the year -- it did secure a commitment that the European Commission would engage with Ukraine, Hungary, and Slovakia on Russian energy flows into the bloc.
Now, Budapest is once again attempting to water down the EU’s Russia sanctions -- this time targeting the asset freezes and visa bans imposed on over 2,400 individuals and companies over the past three years.
These restrictions apply to figures such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as several oligarchs and businessmen accused of bankrolling or benefiting from Moscow’s war effort.
'EU Sanctions Dance'
While the economic sanctions are extended every January and July, these individual sanctions targeting people and entities are rolled over by consensus in mid-March and mid-September every year.
Hungary has leveraged this veto threat at pretty much every opportunity to get people delisted. And since last year, they have been joined in this endeavor by Slovakia, which largely shares Budapest’s Moscow-friendly stance.
Brussels diplomats refer to this as the twice-yearly "EU sanctions dance," in which Hungary and Slovakia propose the delisting of influential Russian oligarchs while the Council of Ministers’ legal team counters with a different set of sanctioned names who are referred to as "weak cases" -- meaning they would likely be taken off the list anyway due to a lack of sufficient evidence. A compromise is usually reached, blending both lists.
Last year, for example, those removed from the list included Arkady Volozh, co-founder of the Russian Internet giant Yandex; Russian businessman Sergei Mndoiants; Jozef Hambalek, a Slovak national and head of the Russian nationalist Night Wolves motorcycle club in Europe; Nikita Mazepin, a former Formula One driver and son of Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin; and Violetta Prigozhina, the mother of the late Russian businessman and Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
This time. Hungary put forward six business figures whom it has tried to get delisted before: Dmitry Mazepin, Alisher Usmanov, his sister Gulbahor Ismailova, Mikhail Fridman, Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor, and Pyotr Aven. Additionally, Budapest has now added another businessman, Musa Bazhaev, along with Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov.
The Council of Ministers, on the other hand, presented a counterproposal on March 7 that has been seen by RFE/RL. They suggested delisting three people who have recently died -- the veteran Russian politician Nikolai Ryzhkov and the military officers Andrei Ermishko and Aleksei Bolshakov. While removing deceased individuals is usually standard practice, the EU sometimes keeps them listed to ensure that assets in their name remain frozen.
On top of this, the proposal also suggested delisting the businessman Vladimir Rashevsky who is seen in Brussels as a “weak case” as he previously won a legal challenge in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) against the sanctions imposed on him. He has, however, remained listed, because the ruling applied only to a previous sanction period, and Brussels had since renewed the measures.
Deadline Fast Approaching
The key question now is how Hungary and Slovakia will respond. When EU ambassadors discussed the issue in Brussels on March 10, Budapest requested more time, stating it had no official position on the latest council proposal. With ambassadors set to meet again on March 12 and March 14, the deadline for sanctions renewal on March 15 is getting perilously close, leaving little room for further maneuver.
Few officials RFE/RL has talked to believe that Hungary will settle for only the four delistings proposed by the council. Ultimately, the other EU member states may be forced to agree to the removal of additional names to secure a compromise.
In the meantime, officials are exploring alternatives in case the negotiations collapse entirely. One option would be for most member states to impose sanctions at the national level.
However, this approach faces two key challenges.
First, not all European Union countries have national sanctions frameworks, relying instead on EU-level measures.
Second, if Hungary and Slovakia refuse to uphold the sanctions, blacklisted individuals could still enter the bloc through these countries, meaning the restrictions will lack effect.
- By Todd Prince
Ball In Russia's Court As Ukraine Agrees To US Cease-Fire Proposal
WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump, and the world, are about to find out whether Russia is really interested in ending its more than three-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine or pursuing its maximalist goals of absorbing the country.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Following nine hours of negotiations in Saudi Arabia on March 11, Ukraine agreed to a US proposal for an immediate 30-day cease-fire that could be extended by both warring parties.
Now the ball is in Russia's court.
Trump said he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the week to secure his commitment to the US proposal, but analysts said they weren't convinced the Kremlin would play ball.
"I would be surprised if Russia agrees to it," Oxana Shevel, a professor of political science at Tufts University, told RFE/RL.
Putin may demand concessions from Ukraine before consenting to any cease-fire, she added. That, in turn, could put Trump in a tough spot, Shevel said.
Trump has claimed to be a neutral arbitrator in the peace process but some analysts question that, pointing to his seeming admiration of Putin as a sign he favors Russia.
Trump has refused to blame Russia for the war it launched. "If Russia drags its feet [on the cease-fire], how will Trump respond?" Shevel said.
Putin may be opposed to laying down arms now because he believes he is winning and hasn't given up his ultimate goal of annexing the rest of Ukraine, experts say.
Russia, which controls almost 20 percent of Ukraine, has had the momentum on the battlefield for more than a year due in large part to its significant manpower advantage.
Moscow's troops have been slowly gaining territory, including key cities, in eastern Ukraine, albeit at enormous human costs.
Ukraine, which is dependent on fickle Western aid, has struggled to recruit enough troops to halt Russia's advance. That has raised doubts among many experts that Ukraine can regain its territory by force even with greater Western military aid.
Jeddah Meeting
The high-stakes talks in Jeddah on March 11 came amid deteriorating US-Ukrainian relations following a public blowup last month in the Oval Office between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
At the contentious meeting that went viral, Trump accused Zelenskyy of not being serious about ending the war.
The US president kicked Zelenskyy out of the White House before the two could sign a framework agreement on sharing revenue generated from Ukraine's mineral resources.
Days later, Trump paused crucial military assistance and intelligence sharing to push the Ukrainian leader to the negotiating table. Following the talks in Jeddah, the United States announced it would end the pause and sign the minerals deal with Ukraine.
Mark Cancian, a military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Ukraine made the most of the meeting.
"This is probably the best they could have hoped for given where we are," he said, calling the resumption of military aid and intelligence "huge."
Cancian said it was "very good" for Kyiv that the joint US-Ukraine statement squarely put the onus of securing peace now on Russia.
However, the drawback is that Ukraine will have to accept a cease-fire that leaves a quarter of the country in Russian hands, "but there is not much they can do about it," he said.
"I just haven't seen any mechanism whereby they could reclaim some of that lost territory. The momentum [on the battlefield] was against them," Cancian said.
Though US Secretary of State Macro Rubio, one of the US negotiators in Jeddah, said prior to the talks that Ukraine would have to concede land, the joint statement did not touch on that issue.
The joint statement also sidelines Ukraine and Europe in the next steps in the peace process, something Kyiv and Brussels hoped to avoid, Cancian said.
While the United States will now hold direct talks with Russia regarding the cease-fire, the statement does acknowledge Ukraine's desire to have Europe involved in the peace process.
US security guarantees -- the holy grail for Ukraine -- were also left out of the joint statement, but Cancian downplayed the significance of that at this moment.
"I don't know if that would be appropriate in this kind of preliminary document. So the fact that there's nothing in there about that, I don't see that as particularly problematic."
European Military Chiefs Discuss Blueprint For Peacekeeping Force In Ukraine
The military chiefs of 30 European and NATO countries are meeting in Paris to discuss a blueprint for a potential peacekeeping mission to Ukraine after any negotiated cease-fire with Russia.
The closed-door meeting on March 11-13 comes as US and Ukrainian officials meet in Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at ending Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
The Paris meeting brings together the chiefs of staff of all 30 of NATO’s European members as well as Ukrainian officials. But there is one notable absence: the United States.
European officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL that US officials were not invited. Europe, the officials said, needs to show that it can take responsibility for the post-war security of the continent and Ukraine.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu suggested the Paris meeting will focus on how Europe could defend NATO’s eastern flank “if tomorrow the contributions of certain countries -- or one country in particular -- were to decrease.”
His comments at the start of the Paris meeting on March 11 were a reference to US President Donald Trump’s embrace of Moscow and his suggestions that the European continent, which has been under the US security umbrella for decades, should fend for itself.
France and Britain are working to form a “coalition of the willing” made up of European countries that would defend and guarantee peace in Ukraine after a deal with Russia is reached.
The meeting of military chiefs in Paris is aimed at seeing what other allies can contribute to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine -- in terms of boots on the ground and military hardware.
French President Emmanuel Macron told European leaders during a special summit in Brussels on March 6 that 500,000-800,000 soldiers would be needed to safeguard a potential cease-fire in Ukraine, several European officials told RFE/RL.
The bulk of such a force would be Ukrainian. But it would need to be bolstered by troops from European NATO members, experts said.
Who's Willing To Contribute?
Paris and London have both indicated that they are ready to provide troops. Germany is also likely to follow suit, although Italy and Poland appear more reluctant.
Many European countries are grappling with military as well as political considerations.
The defense ministers of France, Britain, Italy, and Poland are set to meet in Paris on March 12 to discuss a European peacekeeping force.
Even as European military chiefs draw up plans, the deployment of forces would have to be green-lighted by parliaments in various countries -- something that is far from assured.
Beyond internal European politics, there are also two other substantial obstacles for any future European force in Ukraine -- one Russian and one American.
So far, the Kremlin has flatly rejected the presence of any European military personnel in Ukraine. Even if Moscow would agree, many European countries have indicated that they would only send troops to Ukraine if there was an “American backstop.”
What exactly such a backstop would entail is still up for negotiations. But European officials have told RFE/RL that the United States is crucial for air defense, intelligence, and transportation.
“Europe alone cannot carry out large-scale military operations without American aid,” a European ambassador, speaking under condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL.
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