**Ukraine Ceasefire Possible in Weeks**
The United States believes a ceasefire in Ukraine could be reached within weeks. Steve Witkoff, the U.S. President‘s special envoy to the Middle East, made this statement on March 19.
Witkoff said that while progress had been made between Russian and American leaders, technical teams would need to finalize details. He also stated that everyone involved was committed to achieving a ceasefire.
This announcement follows a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. However, the Kremlin emphasized that for Russia to agree to a ceasefire, foreign military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine must stop.
Witkoff said that talks would focus on specific details rather than overall agreements. The next round of talks is set to take place in Saudi Arabia on March 23.
**Key Points**
* A U.S.-Russia call resulted in Russia agreeing to a 30-day halt on energy infrastructure strikes.
* The Kremlin demanded an end to foreign military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine as a condition for avoiding war escalation.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Trump for additional air defense systems, including Patriot missiles.
* Zelensky agreed to stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
**Ukraine Receives Military Assistance**
The outgoing German government has agreed to release an additional 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in military assistance for Ukraine.
**Other Developments**
* A prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia resulted in the return of 175 Ukrainian soldiers.
* Outages were reported in Donetsk Oblast due to Russian drone attacks on energy facilities, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure.
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