Here’s the situation on Monday, March 3:

Combat Operations

• Ukrainian forces claimed to have intercepted 46 out of 83 drones Russia launched overnight. An additional 31 drones were deemed “lost” and did not reach their targets likely due to electronic warfare efforts, according to the military.

• A deadly Russian assault in Ukraine’s city of Kramatorsk’s residential area claimed the life of a boy and wounded two others. A separate attack in Zaporizhia, southwest Ukraine, left a civilian injured and sparked a significant fire at a residential building, as reported by regional Governor Ivan Fedorov.
• Interfax News Agency, citing the Russian Ministry of Defence, reported that Moscow’s forces struck gas processing facilities utilized by Ukraine.
• Eight people were injured when a Russian drone hit a multi-story residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, causing a fire, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.

• Russia’s state-controlled RIA Novosti reported that a Russian oil refinery caught fire, though the cause of the fire was unclear. Given RIA’s citation of Moscow’s emergency ministry, there was stated to be no danger to nearby residents.

Politics and Diplomacy

• French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that an agreed-upon truce concerning air, sea, and energy infrastructures between Russia and Ukraine could be a litmus test for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to engage in serious negotiations for a long-term peace agreement, if accepted by Ukraine and its allies.
• In an interview with France Inter, Barrot warned that the “Ukrainian conflict front line keeps inching closer to Europe,” augmenting the likelihood of a European conflict.
• The United Kingdom and France plan to draft a peace deal concerning Ukraine to present to then-U.S. President Donald Trump, according to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
• The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) claimed that any withdrawal of military aid by the US might give Russia a strategic advantage in its conflict with Ukraine.
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha denounced what he called a “violation of territorial sovereignty” by IAEA staff who visited the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine via occupied territory.
• A UK-hosted summit on Ukraine occurred in London, with more than a dozen European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in attendance.
• At the summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the urgent need for Europe to strengthen its defense capabilities and reported on discussions concerning negotiations to conclude the Ukraine war, including the need for security guarantees.
• NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte noted that some European leaders have privately outlined plans on defense spending, which he considered “very good news.”

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy remarked on X that Kyiv requires peace “reinforced by robust security assurances.” These comments followed his bilateral discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a 1.6-billion-pound ($2bn) agreement to enable Ukraine to purchase 5,000 air defense missiles using export finance.
• Following his participation in the security summit in London, Zelenskyy met with the UK’s King Charles III at the Sandringham House Estate, as confirmed by Buckingham Palace.
• In an interview with Le Figaro, French President Emmanuel Macron advocated for a 30-day truce in Ukraine, urging European nations to raise their defense spending to between 3 and 3.5 percent of their GDP.
• Zelenskyy expressed his belief that Ukraine’s relationship with Washington could still be mended despite his public disagreement with Trump on Friday, indicating that discussions would need to change format and not believing that the US will halt aid to Ukraine. He reiterated Ukraine’s readiness to sign a minerals deal with the US, adding that he trusts the US is too.