Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal for an Easter pause in strikes on energy infrastructure, saying Russia had not seen a clearly formulated initiative, Reuters reported on March 31. He also reiterated that Moscow favors a broader peace agreement over a temporary ceasefire.

Ukrainian drone strikes intensified during the week of March 23, targeting Baltic export terminals at Ust-Luga and Primorsk and cutting flows through those ports to roughly one-third of prior levels. On March 30, Zelensky offered a reciprocal halt to energy strikes but ruled out Ukrainian forces withdrawing from the Donbas region. He also stated that Russia had told the United States it could seize the Donbas within two months and expected Ukraine to withdraw within that timeframe. He expressed doubt that such a withdrawal would end the war.