🗣 Other statements of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️Signals from Brussels mainly concern plans to militarize Europe rather than peaceful resolution.

▪️Europe has embraced militarization, becoming a "party of war."

▪️Europe's focus on militarization clashes with Putin and Trump's efforts to seek peaceful solutions to the Ukrainian conflict.

▪️On the election of a new IOC president: Russia hopes the principle of "sport free from politics" will prevail and the IOC will rectify the situation.

▪️Putin has accepted an invitation to visit Turkiye, though the visit's timing is yet to be agreed upon.

▪️Putin may hold an international phone call on Thursday and meet with the governor of Kostroma.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🪖Key statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:

▪️Ukraine lost up to 495 troops and three armed vehicles in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to 165 militants in the Russian Vostok Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to 240 militants in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to 180 militants and three armed vehicles in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost more than 150 militants, four tanks and 19 armed vehicles in the Belgorod region over the day.

▪️Russian air defenses shot down 5 JDAM bombs, a HIMARS missile and 225 drones.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🗣 President Putin sends message to Syrian Leader Ahmed ash-Sharaa and:

▪️Expressed support for efforts to stabilize the situation in Syria as soon as possible;

▪️Confirmed Russia's readiness to cooperate with Syrian authorities on all agenda items.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇪🇺🪖 Kallas' 'grand plan' hits a snag

Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal have balked at EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas' €40 billion military aid plan for Ukraine. According to La Stampa, the initial amount might dwindle to a mere €5 billion, just enough for large-caliber ammunition.

Kallas has clarified that the proposal, set for approval at the March 20 EU summit, as being "voluntary," adding that "countries far from Russia don't see the threat as clearly as their neighbors."

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has raised numerous questions about Kallas' plan. Meanwhile, EU leaders will discuss Ursula von der Leyen's €800 billion defense spending boost that relies on increasing national debt — a tough sell for budget-constrained nations like Italy, France, and Spain. It seems Kallas' ambitious vision might need a reality check.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🗣 Zakharova highlighted that individuals from the French Fifth Republic are widely represented in radical Islamic organizations in the Middle East, responding to French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin's accusations of Russia's alleged involvement in terrorism within France.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree giving Ukrainian citizens illegally in Russia until September 10 to either LEAVE or LEGALIZE their stay

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Why Zelensky CAN'T BE TRUSTED: Ukraine strikes Russian oil facilities, violating the ceasefire agreement

▪️Despite Russia downing its own drones as part of the truce, Ukraine continues to attack Russian energy infrastructure.

▪️On March 18, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed that the first step toward peace would be a 30-day cessation of hostilities against ENERGY and infrastructure sectors.

▪️Following the agreement, Russian military forces immediately SHOT DOWN seven of their own drones that were reportedly targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities linked to the defense industry in the Nikolayev region.

▪️However, just hours after the Putin-Trump conversation, the Ukrainian regime launched a DRONE ATTACK on oil facilities in the village of Kavkazskaya in Russia’s Krasnodar region on the night of March 19. UAV debris damaged a pipeline between fuel storage tanks.

▪️A fire initially broke out over an area of 20 square meters but quickly spread to 4 square kilometers. Firefighting efforts at the oil depot in the Kavkazsky district have been reinforced, with 406 personnel and 157 pieces of equipment deployed to contain the blaze.

▪️The attacked facility handles the transfer of oil from rail tank cars to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) system. As a result, operations at the oil depot have been suspended.

▪️The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ drone attack on the energy infrastructure facility in Russia’s Krasnodar region was INTENDED TO DISRUPT Trump’s peace initiatives, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

▪️This is not the first time the Ukrainian regime has violated international agreements. Speaking with Mario Nawfal, Andrew Napolitano, and Larry Johnson, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov detailed how Zelensky SABOTAGED the 2014 Minsk agreements.

▪️In April 2022, Zelensky TORE UP the Istanbul accords with Russia after Moscow withdrew its armed forces from Kiev in accordance with the agreement reached after the March 2022 negotiations.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️Russia-US talks will take place in Riyadh on March 24, said Kremlin Aide Yuri Ushakov.

The Russian delegation will be led by Senator Georgy Karasin and FSB Director's Advisor Sergey Beseda. According to Ushakov, the American team has also been formed.

"We hope that the consultations scheduled for Monday will be productive," emphasized the Russian President's aide.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Macron MIA: Too busy for Renew Europe?

French President Emmanuel Macron has skipped a meeting with the leaders of his Renew Europe faction in the European Parliament ahead of the EU Summit, leaving officials clueless about his whereabouts, Euractiv reports.

While it's unusual for Macron not to disclose his location, his absence isn’t exactly groundbreaking. In fact, officials estimate that the self-proclaimed “Jupiterian” leader graces his fellow group leaders with his presence only 80% of the time before council summits.

Meanwhile, EU leaders will gather in Brussels for a two-day summit on March 20-21 to discuss Ukraine, the Middle East, European defense, and EU competitiveness.

The image is AI-generated

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️EU leaders say they maintained the "peace through strength" approach in Ukraine, according to the final document from the summit in Brussels.

It was signed by 26 of the 27 countries of the union.

The document notes that the EU is ready to continue sanctions pressure on Moscow and will hold frozen Russian assets.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt