In the final episode of Ukraine's True History, we took on the challenge of explaining one of the darkest, most contentious, yet vital aspects of Ukraine's past - the evolution of nationalist movements in the 20th century, which paved Ukraine's way to freedom.
Iryna Matviyishyn is a video reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a freelance journalist with various international media. She was also an analyst, a video producer, and a project coordinator at UkraineWorld. Iryna studied journalism in Lviv and holds a master’s degree in human rights and democratization from the Global Campus of Human Rights in Europe.Read more
One of the officials told Bloomberg that the U.S. plans, which require further discussion with Kyiv, would not be a final settlement and that European allies would not recognize the occupied territories as Russian.
"I want to update the prime minister (Giorgia Meloni) on some of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine... even in the past 24 hours, we think we have some interesting things to report on," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said.
"We are now working in parallel with our and American legal teams and are trying to remove many technical issues to narrow them down to the most sensitive ones that will require a political decision," Deputy Economy Minister and Trade Representative Taras Kachka said.
The new sanctions target 39 individuals and 60 legal entities, some based in Russia and China. The measures include asset freezes, trade restrictions, bans on property acquisition, termination of licenses and permits, and transit prohibitions.
These included service members killed in the Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kharkiv sectors of the front, as well as those in Russian morgues.
Ukrainian airline SkyUp Airlines has made its first regular flight since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, flying on the Chisinau-Paris route on April 18, the Ain outlet reported, citing the company's press service.
In a video released by Russian state-run RIA Novosti, the detainee, whose identity was not disclosed, said he was born in 2000 and is a citizen of Belarus.
U.S. officials said they expect tangible progress soon, while European participants pushed Washington to prepare a harsher response if Moscow fails to engage, Bloomberg reported.
“According to preliminary information, the strikes on Kharkiv were carried out with ballistic missiles equipped with cluster munitions. That is why the affected areas are so extensive," Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote.
Moscow's forces launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile, five Iskander-K cruise missiles, and 37 attack and decoy drones against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported.
Raiffeisen Bank International has suspended efforts to sell its unit in Russia amid warming ties between Moscow and Washington, the Financial Times (FT) reported on April 18, citing undisclosed sources.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian rejected the claims at a regular news conference, saying China has never made lethal weapons available to any party in the war.
The most notable personnel change was the removal of Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin, a longtime pro-Russian figure who has served in the Serbian government since 2013.
Speaking after meeting European and Ukrainian officials for ceasefire talks, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump is interested in reaching a deal but has other priorities.
The closures include Mission Support Site Green Village, MSS Euphrates, and a smaller unnamed facility. U.S. commanders will reportedly decide within 60 days whether to further reduce the troop presence.
"Under the current circumstances, it is simply unrealistic to talk about a (full) ceasefire at this stage," Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with pro-Ukraine Republican U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick on April 17, to discuss peace and security guarantees for Ukraine.
Russia’s Supreme Court removed its designation of the Taliban as a terrorist organization, Russian state-controlled news agency TASS reported on April 17.
"For a long time, we feared that the Europeans would not be around the table. Well, today, it is in Paris that the Europeans, the Americans, and the Ukrainians have met for the first time," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.
"It is important that we reaffirm through our agreements the desire of the American people to invest together with the Ukrainian people in a free, sovereign, and secure Ukraine," Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said.