Russia in Review, March 14-21, 2025

RussiaMatters.org

6 Things to Know

1. In his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump failed to secure the Russian leader’s consent for a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, with Putin agreeing instead to suspend attacks on energy infrastructure. The U.S. and Russian readouts of the call also revealed substantive differences between the two sides’ interpretations of the content and outcomes of the March 18 conversation, which lasted two-and-a-half hours. While the White House version claims that the leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with a 30-day energy and infrastructure ceasefire, the Kremlin version refers to an energy infrastructure ceasefire only. Likewise, the Kremlin readout includes items not mentioned in the White House readout, including a claim that the two leaders discussed “a complete cessation of providing Kyiv with foreign military aid.” In addition, the White House readout doesn’t acknowledge Putin’s list of root causes of the conflict or his conditions for a ceasefire, which can both be found in the Kremlin’s readout.
2. The Kremlin’s version, more than double the length of the White House readout, provides considerably more detail about the topics discussed, signaling Putin’s greater interest in unfreezing the bilateral relationship now that the U.S. no longer treats him as a pariah, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict notwithstanding. In a clear effort to encourage Trump to move with Putin toward further normalizing the U.S.-Russian relationship, the Kremlin’s readout says the Russian leader praised his U.S. counterpart during the call for “striving to achieve the noble goal of ending the hostilities.” In spite of the panegyric, however, the divergence of the Kremlin and White House readouts of the March 18 Trump-Putin call reaffirms the existing significant, but not necessarily irreconcilable, differences in each sides’ visions of potential pathways to stopping the war. These differences, perhaps, explain why before his call with Trump, Putin reportedly “made it clear” to Russian business leaders that they should not expect a swift peace agreement in the war with Ukraine. In contrast to Putin, Trump said after the call that he expects a full ceasefire in the war “pretty soon.”*
3. Although Russian gains again slowed—to 92 square miles of Ukraine’s territory (about 1 Martha’s Vineyard island)—in the past month, in Russia’s Kursk Oblast,Ukraine lost 48 square miles in the past week; it’s down to controlling just 31 square miles, or 4%, of the 470 square miles it controlled in early autumn 2024, according to the latest issue of RM’s Russia Ukraine War Report Card. Ukraine’s forces appear to be no longer contesting the Kursk region, but are instead focused on an orderly withdrawal from this western Russian province.
4. Trump proposed that the U.S. acquire control of Ukraine’s power plants, including nuclear facilities, during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling it the "best protection" for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, according to WSJ. However, Zelenskyy ruled out ceding control of Ukraine’s nuclear plants, Bloomberg reports, but expressed openness to U.S. investment into these NPPs, particularly in the Zaporizhzhia plant, emphasizing that Ukrainian control is essential for its operation.  
5. Russia and Ukraine will hold separate talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia next week. U.S. and Russian delegations will meet in Jeddah with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz leading the U.S. team, according to Meduza. Yuri Ushakov, a top foreign policy aide to Putin, said the talks between Russian and U.S. officials would be taking place on March 24 in Riyadh, adding they would focus on the safety of shipping in the Black Sea. Also, on March 24, U.S.-Ukrainian talks will be held in Saudi Arabia, according to Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, European leaders will convene in Paris next week to coordinate their stance on Ukraine and the peace process, involving EU and non-EU nations like the U.K. and Canada, Bloomberg reports.
6. Trump expressed caution over closer ties between China and Russia, outlining plans to improve relations with two countries that have united in opposing the U.S. on the world stage. "I don't want Russia and China to get together," the U.S. leader said. “As a student of history, which I am—and I’ve watched it all—the first thing you learn is you don’t want Russia and China to get together,” the U.S. leader told Fox News. The Republican leader cast doubt over the foundation of Moscow and Beijing’s bilateral relationship, saying it wasn’t “natural.” “They’re probably friendly now, but we’re going to be friendly with both,” he added, according to Bloomberg.
7. The ruble has surged almost a third against the dollar this year on hopes of an end to the three-year conflict, FT reports.