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US wants Russia and Ukraine to end war by June, says Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the US wants the war with Russia to end by June, adding that both sides had been invited to the US for talks next week.
“America proposed for the first time that the two negotiating teams – Ukraine and Russia – meet in the United States of America, probably in Miami, in a week. We confirmed our participation,” he said.
There was no immediate comment from Washington or Moscow, but US President Donald Trump has been pushing for an end for the conflict since he took office again more than a year ago.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – causing further widespread blackouts during freezing conditions.
In comments released on Saturday, Zelensky told reporters about what had taken place during the second round of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi, which ended on Friday with no reports of a breakthrough.
Zelensky said “difficult issues remained difficult”, including territorial concessions that Ukraine is under pressure to make.
He said the parties discussed, for the first time, the possibility of a trilateral meeting between leaders, not simply representatives, but cautioned that “preparatory elements are needed for this”.
Asked whether a time frame had been given for an agreement, the Ukrainian leader replied: “The Americans say that they want to do everything by June.
“Why before this summer?” he added. “We understand that their domestic issues in the US will have an impact.” These issues include the November midterm elections, which could affect the balance of power in the US government.
As the diplomacy continues, so too are Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities.
“Russian criminals carried out another massive attack on Ukraine’s energy facilities,” Ukraine’s energy minister, Denys Shmyhal, wrote on Telegram.
Substations, which control the flow of electricity, and overhead power lines that “form the backbone of Ukraine’s power grid” were targeted, Shmyhal said. Power plants were also struck.
Ukraine’s state-owned energy operator, Ukrenergo, said “the power deficit in the power system of Ukraine significantly increased” as a result of the latest attacks.
Shmyhal said neighbouring Poland had been asked for emergency power supplies.
Zelensky wrote on social media that Friday night’s attack involved more than 400 drones and 40 missiles. Air-defence systems intercepted most, but not all, of them, the Ukrainian military said.
“The main targets were the energy grid, generation facilities, and distribution substations,” he said, adding that damage had been reported in at least four regions.
In the western region of Lviv, the Dobrotvir power plant came under attack, leaving thousands of people without electricity, according to the regional head, Maksym Kozytskyi.
At least 6,000 people were without power as a result of hourly power outage schedules, he added.
The Burshtyn power plant was also struck in the nearby Ivano-Frankivsk region.
DTEK, which runs both the Dobrotvir and Burshtyn plants said that it was the 10th “massive attack” on its power plants since October 2025.
“In total, DTEK thermal power plants have been attacked by the enemy more than 220 times since the beginning of the full-scale invasion,” the company added on Telegram. This was launched by Russia nearly four years ago.
One person was reported dead in the Rivne regions and several were injured in the Zaporizhzhia. Rivne’s head, Oleksandr Koval, said there was also damage to homes and “critical infrastructure”.
In Kyiv, residents once again took shelter in metro stations. Among them, Oksana Kykhtenko, told the Reuters news agency: “They [Russians] make us live in inhumane conditions. Without heating, without electricity.”
A drone strike in the city of Yahotyn, about 10km (62 miles) away, caused a fire at a warehouse complex, the Ukrainian emergency services said.
Ukraine has also attacked Russia, striking a factory that makes missile fuel components in the western Tver region, according to media reports quoting Ukrainian security officials.
Further south, in the Saratov region, an oil depot was also hit, Ukraine said.
Russia has not commented about any of the latest attacks.
Moscow renewed its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Monday after a pause that US President Donald Trump had asked Vladimir Putin to observe due to the fierce cold in Ukraine. Trump said the pause lasted for a week until last Sunday but Kyiv disputed the timeline.
DTEK said the combined missile and drone strikes caused “the most powerful blow” to infrastructure so far this year.
“Moscow must be deprived of the ability to use the cold as leverage against Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote on X on Saturday, responding to the latest strikes.
Russia has also accused Kyiv of not being serious about securing a lasting peace. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday blamed Ukraine for the shooting of a high profile general im Russia’s militaray, saying it was aimed at “disrupting the negotiation process”.
It is not yet known who was behind the shooting.
Some 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Zelensky said earlier this week. The BBC has confirmed the names of almost 160,000 people killed fighting on Russia’s side in Ukraine.
[BBC]
The Iranian warship Iris Dena was given permission by India to dock three days before it was torpedoed by a US submarine, India has said.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said Iran had sought permission for three of its ships to dock at Indian ports on 28 February – the day the US and Israel began a war on Iran – and permission was granted by India on 1 March.
The ships’ movements between 1 and 4 March are not clear and nor is why only one of them made it to India.
The sinking of the Iris Dena, with 130 sailors on board, in international waters off Sri Lanka’s southern coast on 4 March marked a dramatic widening of the war – and raised questions about India’s authority in its backyard.
It was the first military strike outside the Middle East since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. President Donald Trump has said destroying Iran’s navy is one aim of the assault.
The three Iranian ships – Iris Dena, Iris Bushehr and Iris Lavan – had all participated in a military exercise hosted by India between 15 and 25 February in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam.
They left Indian waters on 25 February and were likely to have been in international waters on 28 February – when the US and Israel began attacking Iran.
“The Iranian side had requested permission on 28 February for three ships in the region to dock at our ports. This was accorded on 1 March,” Jaishankar told parliament on Monday. “Iris Lavan actually docked on 4 March in Kochi. The crew is currently in Indian naval facilities. We believe that this was the right thing to do.”
On 4 March, Iris Dena sank after being hit by a torpedo fired from a US submarine, killing at least 87 of its crew members.
According to the Indian Navy, the Iris Dena was operating about 20 nautical miles – roughly 23 miles (37km) – west of Galle in waters that fall under Sri Lanka’s designated search-and-rescue zone on the day it was struck.
The US tracks vessels across the world’s oceans, and a quarter of its submarine fleet of 65-70 is at sea at any given time, according to analysts.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last week the US had “perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores” and that the warship was “struck in international waters without warning.”
Later, Sri Lanka said it had provided sanctuary for Iris Bushehr on 5 March, a day after it requested for docking following an engine malfunction.
Eventually, India also confirmed that Iris Lavan was docked in its southern city Kochi.
The BBC has written to the Iranian embassy in India and India’s external affairs ministry seeking clarification on the movements of the three Iranian naval vessels after Delhi granted them permission to dock.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has touted the attack on Iris Dena as an example of America’s military prowess, claiming it was “the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two”.
While it is the first time since 1945 that an American submarine has sunk an enemy ship this way, the UK and Pakistan have both sunk vessels using torpedoes since then.
The Iris Dena was one of about 20 Iranian navy vessels destroyed since Israel and the US launched co-ordinated strikes on Iran.
[BBC]
The white ball series between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, scheduled to be held in the UAE from March 13 to 25, is likely to be postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing military conflict in West Asia.
While neither ACB nor SLC has issued an official statement, ESPNcricinfo has learned that both boards have agreed the series cannot take place in the UAE, keeping the ongoing crisis in mind. While both boards are still discussing alternatives, the bilateral series is unlikely to be shifted elsewhere due to logistical challenges.
The series comprising six white-ball matches was scheduled to start on March 13 starting with the three T20Is. The T20I leg was scheduled in Sharjah – on March 13, 15 and 17 – while the three ODIs were scheduled in Dubai on March 20, 22 and 25.
The series was set to be Afghanistan’s first under Ibrahim Zadran’s leadership, with the opener taking over the reins from Rashid Khan after a group-stage exit in the World Cup.
Last week, six matches of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 in Nepal involving Oman, UAE and the hosts were postponed because of the conflict.
The travel plans of several teams that were in India and Sri Lanka for the men’s T20 World Cup have also been disrupted owing to airspaces being closed or limited in West Asia.
Despite being knocked out over the last week, the contingents from West Indies and South Africa have been stuck in Kolkata, and received clarity only on Sunday, that they will be flying out on Tuesday.
[Cricinfo]
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has officially announced the appointment of Gary Kirsten as the new head coach of the men’s national team. Kirsten, who comes with a hefty coaching pedigree, will take over the reins on April 15 on a two-year contract that runs until April 14 2028.
The former South Africa batter will take over a Sri Lankan side seeking stability and a blueprint for consistency in the modern game. While outgoing head coach Sanath Jayasuriya was undoubtedly a household name, Kirsten is without question the most blockbuster appointment to the position in Sri Lanka’s history.
He famously guided India to their 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup victory. And under his tenure, South Africa reached the top of the Test rankings. Most recently, he served as a consultant for Namibia during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
As a player, Kirsten was a stalwart for South Africa, amassing over 14,000 international runs and becoming the first from his country to reach 100 Test matches.
Kirsten hopes to join a long line of non-Sri Lankan coaches who have significantly influenced the nation’s cricketing history. This tradition includes Dav Whatmore, who orchestrated the historic 1996 World Cup win; Tom Moody and Trevor Bayliss, who led the team to World Cup finals in 2007 and 2011; and Chris Silverwood, the most recent foreign head coach before Sanath Jayasuriya took over as interim and then full-time coach in late 2024.
The appointment comes at a critical juncture following the team’s limp exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup, and marks a pointed departure from the post-2024 World Cup pivot towards coaches with more local knowledge.
Jayasuriya, who officially resigned as head coach following the tournament’s conclusion, will now lead the High Performance Centre. Sri Lanka enjoyed historic home successes in 2024 under his leadership – including a first ODI series win against India in 27 years – but their recent World Cup campaign ended in the Super Eight after disappointing losses to England and New Zealand.
Sri Lanka’s campaign was marked by competing philosophies, with batters in particular seemingly lacking clarity in their roles. SLC, in a media release, stated that the “appointment of the new head coach is part of Sri Lanka Cricket’s efforts to revamp the structure of the National High Performance Center,” and Kirsten will first and foremost be tasked with establishing a clear path to success.
With the 2027 men’s ODI World Cup set to be held in his native South Africa, alongside Namibia and Zimbabwe, Kirsten’s intimate knowledge of those conditions would have also likely played a role in his hire, but SLC will be hoping that his impact will be longer lasting and help build a winning culture similar to those he helped established in India and South Africa.
[Cricinfo]
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