These are the key events on day 1,132 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
These are the key events from Monday, March 31:
Fighting
-
- Russian forces shelled a front-line settlement in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhia region, killing a 66-year-old woman and wounding five others.
- The number of people wounded in Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, has risen to three.
- Moscow’s Ministry of Defence said Ukraine had attacked energy facilities in Russia’s Bryansk region despite a joint moratorium on striking such infrastructure.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered 160,000 more Russians to be called up for military service by July 15.
Diplomacy
- The Kremlin said Russia and the United States were working on ideas for a possible peace settlement in Ukraine and on building bilateral ties despite US President Donald Trump saying he was “p***** off” with Putin.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Russia to be punished for more than 183,000 alleged war crimes documented by Kyiv since Moscow’s full-scale invasion three years ago.
- The top diplomats from Spain, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland and the European Union have pledged to redouble their aid to Ukraine and are considering new sanctions on Russia to force it to accept a ceasefire.
- Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, who is in Moscow, said securing peace in Ukraine was “no pain, no gain” and that any ceasefire agreement had to be binding, fair and acceptable for all parties.
- Wang also welcomed Russia and the US taking the first steps to normalise relations, which he said would be “good for stabilising the balance of power between major powers and inspires optimism in a disappointing international situation”.
- Moldova has expelled Russian diplomats after accusing embassy staff of helping a convicted pro-Kremlin legislator escape being jailed over illegal political funding. Moscow has denied it sought to interfere in Moldovan politics.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to attend a NATO foreign ministers meeting to discuss security priorities, including defence investment and peace negotiations in Ukraine.
Military aid
- Sweden said it would donate 16 billion kronor ($1.6bn) in new military aid to Ukraine, the largest such package from the Nordic country since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
- A spokesman for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said officials from the United Kingdom, France and Ukraine would meet in the coming days to build on “real momentum” in efforts to boost Kyiv’s security.
