
Japan signs deal on $3 billion for Ukraine under G7 loan
Japan's funds will be disbursed over 30 years and directed toward budgetary needs and to support reconstruction and development.
Japan's funds will be disbursed over 30 years and directed toward budgetary needs and to support reconstruction and development.
"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.
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 Ukrainian government on April 18 published the text of a recently signed memorandum outlining a pending minerals agreement with the United States.
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.
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.
"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.
The number includes 1,530 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
“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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with pro-Ukraine Republican U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick on April 17, to discuss peace and security guarantees for Ukraine.
"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.
Key developments on April 17: * China provides weapons to Russia, Zelensky says * Ukraine repels Russian offensive near Pokrovsk, killing 200 Russian soldiers, Zelensky says * Ukrainian forces liberate 16 square kilometers near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, Syrskyi says * Ukrainian drones attack Russian brigade linked to Sumy strike for second day in
“Excuse me, but this is a murder. This strike went to the (city) center, it did not go to the front line,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"We have a minerals deal, which I guess is going to be signed on Thursday, next Thursday," U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 17.
Jonathan Shrier, acting U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, said Washington opposed the resolution because of repeated statements about the war in Ukraine that the U.S. considers “unhelpful in advancing the cause of peace.”
According to Zelensky, Ukrainian forces killed around 200 Russian soldiers and injured 30 others, as well as destroyed 115 units of Russian military equipment.
Zaporizhzhia — During what would usually be evening rush hour in Zaporizhzhia, cars move easily through main streets that were once choked with traffic. As the shadows grow longer, soldiers calmly remove camouflage netting from the air defense weapons they’ll man against Russia’s deadly attacks until the sun rises
“I believe Mr. Witkoff has adopted the strategy of the Russian side,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “Consciously or not, he is spreading Russian narratives."
"Considering the high level of uncertainty, which has only increased over past months, the NBU will respond flexibly to changes in the balance of risks to the price dynamics and inflation expectations," the central bank's statement read.
Germany has provided Ukraine with a new package of military assistance, including IRIS-T air defense systems and missiles for Patriots, according to an updated list released by the German government on April 17.
"Today we have general information from the Security Service (of Ukraine), from intelligence about gunpowder, artillery," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukrainian intelligence has identified the captain of the oil embargo-breaking tanker FACCA, a part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers.
The following is the April 16, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. If you’re getting tired of the constant back and forth of the minerals deal, so am I,
The recently recaptured territory by Ukrainian troops includes areas near the settlements of Udachne, Kotlyne, and Shevchenko, according to Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.