1. Russia and Ukraine are expected to hold separate talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia on Monday. The move comes after they agreed to a partial US-brokered ceasefire in Ukraine. The Kremlin said on Thursday that US and Russian officials will have working-level talks in Riyadh. 2. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suggested that he is considering plans to provide air and sea defense as well as support on the ground to maintain peace in Ukraine, once a ceasefire takes effect. Military officials from Ukraine, European nations and Canada were among those taking part. They support the framework of a “coalition of the willing” to maintain peace in Ukraine.
3. Japan’s national soccer team has defeated Bahrain in Asian qualifiers, becoming the first non-host squad to clinch a slot at next year’s World Cup. It will be the Samurai Blue’s eighth straight appearance in the tournament.
日: 2025年3月21日
March 20, Thursday, 2025
1. The US White House announced that President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have agreed on a ceasefire regarding attacks on Russian energy facilities during their phone talks on Wednesday. The announcement comes as Moscow stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump had agreed on a 30-day halt to energy infrastructure attacks the day before.
2. Israel is ramping up military pressure on Hamas over the group’s refusal to free Israeli hostages, continuing airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday and launching a partial ground operation in the enclave. A Hamas official, meanwhile, told France’s AFP news agency that the group remained open to talks, indicating it will seek to establish ceasefire through negotiations.
3. People in Japan are remembering the victims of the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system on the 30th anniversary of the deadly incident on Thursday. Members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult released highly toxic nerve gas in packed rush-hour subway cars on three lines in central Tokyo on March 20, 1995.