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By John Feng and Maya Mehrara
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The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate as Moscow resumed an offensive in Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv attacked Belgorod ahead of President Donald Trump's phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which they will discuss concessions.
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Russia Resumes Offensive Push in Zaporizhzhia
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has reported that Russia has resumed an offensive and advanced in Western Zaporizhzhia oblast, in central Mali Shcherbaky, northwest of Robotyne, based on geolocated footage from March 17.
The Washington, D.C.-based think tank cited several Russian military bloggers who said that Moscow's military reportedly seized Mali Shcherbaky and made gains both east and west of the settlement.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also posted on Telegram that Moscow's forces seized the village of Stepovoye in Zaporizhzhia on March 17.
The Ukrainian military has refuted Russia's claim that it seized Stepovoye, and Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesperson for Kyiv's armed forces, told the Kyiv Independent that they have not lost ground on the sector of the front line in the southeastern city.
Voloshyn said: "This is a method of information warfare—the enemy claims that it is there before it has entered. I do not confirm the information that Russia entered the settlements of Stepovoye, Mali Shcherbaky, or Shcherbaky and took them under control."
He added: "Fierce fighting continues in this area. The enemy is trying to change the configuration of the combat line in its favor. In total, six combat engagements were registered in the Orikhiv sector over the last day. The day before yesterday, there were 19." Voloshyn noted that Russia has increased its attacks in Zaporizhzhia.
Russia Accuses Kyiv of New Incursion in Belgorod
Russian military bloggers have accused Kyiv of attempting to start a new incursion in Belgorod, a Russian city approximately 25 miles north of the border with Ukraine, according to the Russian outlet Meduza.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the city, wrote on Telegram that Ukraine's forces were firing on the border district of Krasnoyaruzhsky on Tuesday.
Meduza cited a Russian Telegram channel that reported Ukrainian troops had launched "offensive actions" in the area. This included moving equipment and personnel toward the border near the border of the Belgorod and Kursk regions overnight, and clearing mines in the areas of Prilesye, Grafovka, and Demidovka in the morning.
Meduza also cited another pro-Russian military Telegram channel. It said that "the defensive line was not breached" and that "there was an attempt by Ukrainian infantry to break through, but it failed."
Ukraine launched drones at Belgorod in an attack overnight, after which Russia said that it downed 41 drones over the Russian city, according to Reuters.
Trump's Call With Putin
Trump will speak with Putin on the phone on Tuesday to discuss ending the war with Ukraine. The U.S. president told reporters while on Air Force One on Sunday that they will speak about possible concessions that Russia could make, including land and power plants.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump provided further information about his upcoming talks with Putin and wrote that many aspects of a "Final Agreement" between Russia and Ukraine have been agreed upon, "but much remains."
Trump's phone call with the Russian president swiftly follows his envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff's meeting with Putin in Moscow on March 13.
The president's conversation with Putin will likely also include mention of the U.S. and Ukraine's 30-day ceasefire proposal, which the Russian president has said he agrees with in principle but added that key terms need to be negotiated.
Ukraine's Possible Concessions
As peace talks with Russia mediated by the U.S. continue, possible concessions have come into question, as Moscow delays its decision on whether to pursue the 30-day ceasefire.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that, in the meeting with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia on March 11, there had been "conversations" about territorial concessions but did not elaborate on the particulars of the discussions.
In a recent interview with The Independent, several unnamed high-level Ukrainian sources spoke about Kyiv's red lines in terms of an upcoming peace agreement, and in their conditions, they listed that they will not cede any further territory, despite Russia's demands. Russia controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and has previously pushed for Kyiv to cede control of the entirety of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Trump is reportedly considering formally handing Putin Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, as part of a future peace settlement. Crimea is internationally recognized Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's aides are also reportedly anxious that Trump will push for Kyiv to cede control over Odesa as part of a peace agreement with Russia, according to The New York Times.
As Trump also noted that he and Putin would discuss power plants, control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, will likely come up. The power plant in Ukraine has been under Russia's control since 2022, after Moscow annexed Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine may have to make concessions beyond territory, as two unidentified people in Moscow "with knowledge of the Kremlin's thinking" told Bloomberg that Russia is reportedly demanding the suspension of all weapons deliveries to Kyiv during the ceasefire proposed by the U.S. and Ukraine.
While Russia is pushing for Ukraine to make numerous concessions, Putin has refused to make any and said on March 6 that Moscow "does not intend to" give in to anyone.
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