Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, days 1,118

The highlights of Tuesday, March 18 are listed below.

Fighting

• Following a Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of the region, Igor Babushkin, reported one injured person and a fire that broke out in an oil refinery in Astrakhan, Russia.
• Overnight, 36 Ukrainian drones were destroyed over the Kursk area, according to the Moscow-based Ministry of Defense. According to the ministry, Russian troops have taken control of the village of Stepove in the Zaporizhia region of Ukraine.
• Overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that its air defense units shot down 90 of the country’s 174 Russian drones. Due to electronic warfare devices, another 70 drones were “lost.” According to the governor of the Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, one civilian was reported hurt in the attacks, which also damaged a kindergarten, a home, a shop, and a car.

diplomacy and politics

• Donald Trump, the president of the United States, announced to reporters that he would meet with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, on Tuesday. We want to see if we can end that conflict. We might be able to, perhaps not, but I believe we have a good chance, he said.

• Trump is scheduled to address Putin about a power plant bordering Russia and Ukraine, according to the White House.
• Russia’s demands for a ceasefire with Ukraine, according to Kaja Kallas, the head of the European Union’s foreign policy, demonstrate that the latter has a “ultimate goal that they want to achieve from the war.”
• A bill that allows Ukrainian troops to be stationed in other nations while in martial law was approved by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a note that was included with the legislation, Kyiv stated that it would “assure national security and defense as well as repelling and determining armed aggression against Ukraine.”
• More than 30 European nations are expected to offer their troops, according to British Prime Minister spokesman Dave Pares, who spoke to reporters. Although the contribution capabilities will vary, he said, “This will be a significant force, with a lot of countries in it.”

• Trump complied with the demands of Russia, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron did say on X that Russia had to demonstrate that it truly wanted peace.
• Zelenskyy claimed that despite being nearly a week after a deal was proposed, Putin has been unable to “force out a simple yes” to the ceasefire agreement.