Sudzha withdrawal: what 16 March 2025 confirmed

What did Ukraine's military confirm on 16 March 2025, and how did it fit into the week around it? The answer: Ukrainian forces confirmed their withdrawal from Sudzha, in Russia's Kursk region, closing a chapter that had begun with the Kursk offensive.

The end of the Sudzha presence

On 16 March 2025, Ukrainian military representatives confirmed that troops had been pulled out of Sudzha. The confirmation followed several days of Russian advances. On 11 March, Russia announced that its forces had retaken multiple villages in Kursk Oblast up to the outskirts of Sudzha, the main town held by the Ukrainian military, while Ukrainian forces withdrew to avoid encirclement.

On 12 March, Russian troops, backed by close air support, entered Sudzha, ending seven months of Ukrainian occupation of the town. The 16 March confirmation from Ukraine's side came four days after that entry.

A week of diplomacy

The withdrawal came as ceasefire diplomacy moved quickly. On 11 March, after talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Ukraine announced their intention to seek a 30-day ceasefire with Russia. The US side at the talks included the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz. Ukraine was represented by the presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. On the same day, the US government lifted its suspension on sharing intelligence and military aid to Ukraine.

On 13 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the American ceasefire proposal would depend on Russia's conditions being met, and that there would be further discussions. That was the position on the table when Ukraine confirmed its exit from Sudzha.

Strikes and security planning

The fighting was not confined to Kursk. On 11 March, Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on Moscow, the largest inside Russia since the start of the war. At least three people were killed and 18 injured, multiple fires were reported across the city, and flights from Sheremetyevo International Airport were suspended. Russia said its air defences had shot down at least 337 Ukrainian drones overnight across 10 oblasts.

The same day, a Russian missile struck a cargo ship carrying grain to Algeria at the Port of Odesa. Four crew members were killed and the vessel was severely damaged.

Also on 11 March, the military chiefs of all European NATO countries met in Paris, alongside Ukrainian representatives, to discuss a potential European peacekeeping force in Ukraine. The United States was not involved in that meeting.

The coalition behind the idea

The Paris discussion belonged to a wider effort. The coalition of the willing, led by the United Kingdom and France, was announced by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on 2 March 2025, after the London Summit on Ukraine. Its members pledged readiness to take part in a peacekeeping force on Ukrainian territory, by providing troops or contributing in other ways. The force was envisaged to deploy only once Ukraine and Russia signed a comprehensive ceasefire agreement or peace deal. The coalition later grew to 34 countries.

Where 16 March stood

By 16 March 2025, then, the picture had several strands. Ukraine had left Sudzha, a ceasefire proposal awaited Russia's conditions, intelligence sharing and military aid from Washington had resumed, and European military leaders were planning for a possible peacekeeping role. The Sudzha confirmation was the clearest battlefield marker of that moment, set against negotiations that had not yet produced an agreement.