Pepe Escobar examines the recent meeting between President Putin and President Trump, indicating that they may have reached a mutual agreement on the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Opinion
Pepe Escobar- Putin’s Peace BOMBSHELL Breaks Trump, Ukraine’s Defeat Now Inevitable
Mar 30, 2026
#Geopolitics #InternationalRelations #Eurasia
Ukraine’s Zelensky says Middle East visit a success, announces security accords
By Reuters 30 March 2026, 10:45 pm
AGENCY / AFP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pronounces his tour of Middle Eastern countries a success and says a number of security cooperation accords have been clinched or are under discussion.
Zelensky embarked on a tour of the region to offer Ukrainian expertise on how to counter attacks from drones fired by Iran in its war with the United States and Israel, which has spread across the Middle East.
He has promoted Ukrainian know-how acquired in its four-year-long war against Russia, which has long deployed Iranian-designed drones to strike Ukraine since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
Speaking in his nightly video address after his return to Kyiv, Zelensky says “historic” security agreements have been reached with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Ukraine, he says, is also working with Jordan and Kuwait and adds that two other countries – Bahrain and Oman – have also expressed interest.
“For Ukraine, this is not only about prestige and respect for our people,” Zelensky says.
“This is a very concrete and practical matter. We are exporting our defense system, the skills of our warriors and the knowledge our state possesses.”
He says Ukraine expects “corresponding security cooperation,” which includes discussions on air defense, development of defense production and energy cooperation.
During the tour, the Ukrainian president says he discussed the region’s supplies of diesel, vital for Ukraine’s defense needs and the agriculture sector.
In his address, Zelensky says he found “great respect” for Ukraine in the Middle East and a “shared vision among the countries of the region” to work together with Ukrainian experts.
“Security and restoring stability are the top priorities for everyone,” he says.
American political scientist Garland Nixon emphasized that Vladimir Zelensky acts in the interests of Western intelligence services
tass.com
American political scientist Garland Nixon emphasized that Vladimir Zelensky acts in the interests of Western intelligence services
MOSCOW, March 31. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky declares his readiness to provide military assistance to other countries since he is not guided by the interests of Ukraine and acts in the interests of Western intelligence services, American political scientist Garland Nixon told TASS.
Earlier, Zelensky said he was ready to provide the United States with combat drones and air defense specialists to fight against Iran.
"I do not believe that Vladimir Zelensky has ever represented Ukraine - neither its people nor its interests. My personal belief is that Vladimir Zelensky is an agent acting in the interests of the British intelligence service MI6, as well as certain circles in the US government. Therefore, I believe that he is a tool of the American and British intelligence services. Accordingly, I don't think he cares much about what is happening in Ukraine. I would also argue that he really has the political power inside Ukraine that most observers attribute to him. It seems to me that this is why, as an agent of Western imperialism, he will be happy to provide his services wherever it is required of him," Nixon said.
Earlier Nixon in an interview with TASS said Zelensky could be killed for trying to sign a peace agreement with Russia, adding that he did not consider him the real head of Ukraine.
His opinion is echoed by ex-SBU officer Vasily Prozorov, who previously said that Zelensky's curators could arrange an "accident" for him, if he listens to the United States and softens his position in negotiations with Russia. He added that Zelensky opposes himself to the American administration on purpose, and there are forces behind him that do not want the end of hostilities in Ukraine.
From SouthFront News
In the direction of Slavyansk, Russian troops captured the rest of Nikiforovka and consolidated their position in Fedorovka Vtoraya. These...
southfront.press
Videos (opening dialog):
In the direction of
Sloviansk, Russian troops captured the rest of Nikiforovka and consolidated their position in Fedorovka Vtoraya. These advances have strengthened their positions south of Rai-Oleksandrivka, bringing them closer to the artillery shelling range of Slavyansk. In the Zaporizhzhia direction, Russian units from the “Dnipro” and “East” groupings continue to repel counterattacks in the Kamianske–Mala Tokmachka area. Meanwhile, the 35th Army captured Lugovskoye, paving the way for an offensive on Belogorye that bypasses the fortified zone. In the Sumy direction, assault groups from the “North” grouping advanced 400 meters and attacked the GUR special unit “Shamanbat.” In the Krasnopillia district, they advanced up to 1,100 meters. In the Kharkiv direction, Russian troops advanced 750 meters toward Lyptsi and 400 meters toward Vovchansk, repelling attempts to transfer Ukrainian reserves. In other news, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico accused the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of colluding with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the Druzhba pipeline situation.
On the night of March 30, 2026, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces deployed 164 drones, of which...
southfront.press
Highlights:
One of the most significant episodes was the strike on the air base in Ozerne, Zhytomyr region. The attack targeted a facility combining a combat aviation site and a training center. According to available data, open equipment parking areas, training rooms, and barracks were attacked.
French specialists maintaining the Mirage fighters, as well as personnel from the Ptakhy Madyara unit undergoing training at this airfield, were caught in the strike.
Point Destruction of the Rear Echelon
Strikes on Air Defense Systems and Logistics Hubs
Strikes on Port and Gas Infrastructure
Strikes on Russian Territory
"On the night of March 30, Russia’s air defense system shot down 102 Ukrainian drones over ten subjects of the Russian Federation. Drones were downed over the territories of Belgorod, Kursk, Voronezh, Rostov, Volgograd, Penza, Ulyanovsk, Samara regions, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea, and the waters of the Azov Sea. In the Rostov region, over 60 drones were destroyed, with the main strike hitting Taganrog".
The Baltic Route and the Incident in Finland
On March 29, two drones crashed north and east of the city of Kouvola in Finland. Finland identified one of them as a
Ukrainian “Liutyi” drone. The drone operates on an inertial guidance system, meaning it flies along a pre-set route; its direction of movement can be adjusted using GPS.
The post continues
The Finnish episode became a moment after which the previous model of explanations began to completely unravel. If previously the events in Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia could be presented as a chain of unrelated incidents, in the case of Finland, a complete picture emerged — with detection, identification, refusal to engage, and subsequent acknowledgment.
Low-flying targets were detected in Finland’s airspace, and F/A-18 Hornet fighters were scrambled to check them. One of the objects was classified as a Ukrainian
AN-196 type drone.
Despite identification, the decision to engage the target was not made. The official rationale was the risk of collateral damage. In reality, this means that a drone capable of carrying a warhead was deliberately allowed to continue its flight. Only after this does it crash on Finnish territory, and the police are forced to destroy it by detonation due to the threat of an unexploded charge. An additional point to this episode is added by
Kyiv’s reaction, which acknowledges the incident and apologizes.
Comparing this episode with previous ones, a consistent pattern emerges. In Lithuania, a Ukrainian drone linked to the strike on Primorsk is officially acknowledged. In Estonia, damage to an industrial facility is recorded. In Latvia, overflights and maneuvers occur at night. In Finland — a full cycle: detected, identified, not shot down.
Taken together, this ceases to look like a collection of incidents. It is already a manifestation of the same scheme, in which the Baltic direction is used as a bypass route for strikes on northwestern Russia. The logic here is simple: saturated air defense zones are circumvented, the route is diverted towards the Baltic Sea, and the approach to the target is carried out via the Gulf of Finland. With such a configuration, the airspace of the region’s countries inevitably lies in the flight path.
Officially, this is still not acknowledged. EU countries state that they did not provide their airspace for such operations. However, in practice, a different picture emerges. Drones pass through, are detected, sometimes deviate and crash, and in some cases, are not destroyed even after identification. This creates that very gray zone where there is no formal participation, but no real obstacle either.
Overnight, the Russia's air defenses downed 92 Ukrainian UAVs over 12 Russian regions
tass.com
Overnight, the Russia's air defenses downed 92 Ukrainian UAVs over 12 Russian regions
ST. PETERSBURG, March 31. /TASS/. By 6:00 a.m. Moscow time (3:00 a.m. GMT) on Tuesday, as many as 38 unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down in the skies over the Leningrad Region, Governor Alexander Drozdenko reported on Max, saying that three people, including two children, were injured in the attacks.
"By 06:00 a.m. Moscow time, 38 UAVs were downed over the Leningrad Region. <...> Three residents, including two children, requested medical assistance. Their life is not threatened," he wrote.
Over the past night, air defenses downed 92 Ukrainian UAVs over 12 Russian regions, Russia’s top brass reported earlier.
According to FSB regional branch spokeswoman Arina Klepanova, the Ukrainian side is using bacteriological and chemical weapons to poison Russian population
tass.com
According to FSB regional branch spokeswoman Arina Klepanova, the Ukrainian side is using bacteriological and chemical weapons to poison Russian population
DONETSK, March 30. /TASS/. The Donetsk People’s Republic’s special services have discovered caches of chemical and biological weapons in areas of the region liberated from the Ukrainian armed forces, Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) regional branch spokeswoman Arina Klepanova told TASS.
"When it comes to caches, from time to time we find toxic substances. In other words, the Ukrainian side is indeed using bacteriological and chemical weapons to poison our population," the FSB spokeswoman pointed out.
She emphasized that a significant number of such caches have been found in the DPR territories liberated from Ukrainian troops.
The FSB regional branch specified to TASS that three caches with chemical weapons had been found since 2023.
www.bbc.com
