"I wanted to be protected... I didn’t want to be out there and look foolish," U.S. President Donald Trump said, referring to a minerals deal signed between Ukraine and the U.S. on April 30.
"This war must end — and Canada will continue our efforts among allies to bring about freedom, peace, and security for Ukraine," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
Two have been killed, and five injured in a Russian drone attack on Odesa overnight on May 1. Fires have been reported throughout the city.
"The Ukrainians have already said they're willing to give up the land... not de jure, forever, but de facto because the Russians actually occupy it... That's what they're willing to go to, they told me that last week," U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio "underscored to his Russian counterpart the next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks and the need to end the war now," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
One person was injured, and fires have been reported in Kyiv amid a Russian drone attack overnight on April 29.
"In the next eight to ten days, we will increase pressure on Russia. I remain cautious (of a ceasefire) because part of the equation depends on Moscow," French President Emmanuel Macron said.
"We value human lives, not parades. That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Vatican State Secretary Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral on April 26.
"You can count on our support at the negotiating table to achieve a just and lasting peace," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Ignat Kuzin was detained for allegedly planting a bomb that killed a senior Russian general, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on April 26, alleging that Kuzin is a Ukrainian agent.
"They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to 'finish it off.' Most of the major points are agreed to," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
"We are ready for dialogue in any... format, at any time, but only after a real signal that Russia is ready to end the war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Security guarantees could include not "Article 5 itself, but specifically those forces and the protection that Article 5 provides to NATO countries," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"Ukraine, headed by (President) Volodymyr Zelensky, has not signed the final papers on the very important rare earths deal with the United States. It is at least three weeks late," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
"We all agree, in NATO, that Russia is the long-term threat to NATO territory, to the whole of the Euro-Atlantic territory," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
"We would like... to have this common understanding that Russia is the aggressor... you shouldn't be saying that Ukraine and Russia started this war, I believe that it's painful for our people to hear," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"(W)e are moving in the right direction... we are ready to reach a deal, but there are some specific points, elements of this deal, which need to be defined," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
"I think we have a deal with both, I hope they do it," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
A series of explosions rocked the capital around 1:00 a.m. local time on April 24, Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported. Additional explosions were later heard around 4 a.m. local time.
"It's time to move forward on (U.S.) President (Donald) Trump's (Ukraine-Russia) war directive: stop the killing, achieve peace, and put America First," U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said.
"(U)nfortunately, President Zelensky seems to be moving in the wrong direction," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
"As long as Belarus behaves this way towards (Poland), I do not see any possibility that anything will change in this area," Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Semoniak said.
"We hope that the truce will lead to de-escalation of tensions and will allow moving on to a diplomatic settlement," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"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.
"(U.S.) President (Donald) Trump and the United States want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
"We have been defending the freedom of Ukraine together," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
"Russia, which is behaving aggressively towards NATO and implementing its brutal and bloodthirsty imperialism, has been attacking Ukraine for three years," Polish President Andrzej Duda said.
Vladislav Ruchka, Andriy Yaroshinsky, and Dmytro Ihnatenko have been sentenced to up to 24 years in prison by Russian proxies in Donetsk.
Three people have been killed and 30 have been injured in Dnipro amid a Russian drone attack late on April 16.
"I am continuing for one year the national emergency with respect to the Russian Federation and the emergency authority relating to the regulation of the anchorage and movement of Russian-affiliated vessels to United States ports," a U.S. Federal Register document says.
