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Morning Headlines
Reuters: European Union leaders are expected to put heavy pressure on Hungarian PM Orban on Thursday to lift his blockade on a vital 90-billion-euro EU loan to Ukraine to keep up its fight against Russia's invasion.
The Kyiv Independent: Iran is asking Russia to share intelligence on U.S. military assets in the Middle East, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe confirmed during a congressional hearing on March 18.
Reuters: Asia is expected to import a record volume of fuel oil from Russia in March after the U.S. eased sanctions, shipping data showed as of Thursday, ahead of expected tighter supplies from next month caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian forces reportedly launched a drone attack on the city of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea overnight on March 19, Russian Telegram media channels reported, citing resident accounts.
Reuters: Peace talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine are on pause amid the Iran war, Izvestia reported on Thursday, citing Russian officials.
ISW: Russian forces are continuing their battlefield air interdiction campaign against Ukrainian military and civilian targets in the near rear and are testing alternatives to Starlink to control drones.
More News
Reuters: Erik Prince, the founder of private military firm Blackwater, is backing a Ukrainian drone technology firm he wants to help sell to the U.S. military, underscoring Kyiv’s rising role as a hub of innovation in modern warfare.
The Moscow Times: Russia has dispatched two tankers carrying oil and gas to Cuba as the island grapples with a deepening energy crisis exacerbated by a U.S. oil blockade, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.
Reuters: Ukraine's military struck two Russian plants producing and repairing military transport and cargo planes in the Ulyanovsk and Novgorod regions, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Wednesday.
The Kyiv Independent: Kyiv has no information about an EU mission tasked with inspecting the damaged Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on March 18.
The Moscow Times: Around 70% of Russian companies in key sectors such as oil and gas, banking, retail and IT continue to rely on foreign data backup systems, despite a government push to replace imported software, according to a study by technology firm K2Tech.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko welcomed a decision of Norway to provide USD 200 million in budget support for Ukraine through the World Bank’s PEACE project.
Reuters: Russia is struggling to fully benefit from the surge in global oil prices from the Middle East war as drone attacks on export infrastructure and bad weather curb its oil exports, according to Reuters estimates based on LSEG data and industry sources.
Reuters: A Warsaw court decided on Wednesday that Russian archaeologist Alexander Butiagin should be extradited to Ukraine, where he is accused of involvement in unauthorised excavation and plundering historical artefacts in Crimea.
Reuters: An International Monetary Fund mission began talks with Ukraine's government on Wednesday as the country faces an uphill battle to pass unpopular tax increases for small businesses and entrepreneurs to secure financing.
The Kyiv Independent: Russia has launched a major hybrid operation targeting the Hungarian ethnic community in western Ukraine to stoke local and international tensions, the Security Service of Ukraine said on March 18.
The Moscow Times: Russia’s state railway monopoly Russian Railways (RZhD) will cut around 15% of its central administrative staff, or roughly 6,000 jobs, as it grapples with mounting financial losses.
United24 Media: Ukraine is working on a new generation of naval drones capable of operating in open ocean conditions, marking a potential expansion of its unmanned maritime capabilities beyond the Black Sea.
The Kyiv Independent: Spain announced a 1 billion euro military aid package for Ukraine for 2026 on March 18, coinciding with President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the country.
Reuters: A senior NATO military officer has called on the alliance to extend its Cold War-era fuel pipeline network hundreds of kilometres eastwards to ensure sufficient supplies for NATO troops in case of a future conflict with Russia.
LRT: Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Tuesday that a return to normal relations with Russia is currently impossible, stressing the need to maintain pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
worth mentioning
Iran war increases threat to Sweden, security service says
EU liberals pitch NATO-style trade pact with Canada, Japan and South Korea
In just half a month, Ukraine’s Defence Forces struck over 20 targets supporting enemy air defense
‘Put him on trial’: pro-Kremlin loyalist turns on Putin in rare outburst
The Russian war snuff videos industry: “Welcome to the real murders channel”
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