Key developments on April 8: * Ukraine captured 2 Chinese nationals fighting for Russia, Zelensky says * Russian forces sometimes outnumber Ukraine 10 to 1 in Lyman sector, military says * More Patriot systems for Ukraine the "best support" from US right now, Zelensky says * Belgium to provide Ukraine with $1-billion defense package
New Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine could be the strongest sign of U.S. support, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 8, just days after Russia's deadly missile attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih.
The funds will be used to purchase arms and strengthen Ukraine's defense sector, including the production of new types of weapons.
"We have information that there are much more than two such Chinese citizens in the occupier's units," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Kremlin has long-used Bucha in state propaganda, denying the extensively documented crimes committed by Russian forces.
In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine will increase production for the "full range of drones: from Mavics to long-range drones."
We continue to conduct active operations in border areas on enemy territory, and this is absolutely just — the war must return to where it came from," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 7.
President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed new ambassadors to seven countries on April 7. The appointments include Andriy Kostin, Ukraine's former Prosecutor General, who resigned in October 2024 amid a major corruption scandal.
Victoria Spartz also accused Zelensky of "insulting the American president" and doing a "disservice to the Ukrainian people."
"We are talking to Russia. We would like them to stop," Trump told reporters on April 6. His comments came after President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his plea for a decisive response from the U.S. following Russia's continuous attacks against Ukraine.
The prolonged negotiations over a minerals deal, which have already tested relations between Kyiv and Washington, follow an effort to finalize a framework agreement earlier this year.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 6 that Russia is refusing to accept an unconditional ceasefire in order to keep launching missile strikes from the Black Sea.
Key developments on April 5-6: * Zelensky calls for tougher Western response after Russian missiles strike Kyiv. * Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih kills 20 people, including 9 children, injures 75. * Macron to helm EU's talks with Putin, the Telegraph reports. * Ukrainian drones hit Russian explosives, fiber optic factories near Moscow. * One
Three weeks ago, Ukraine and the U.S. agreed to implement a full 30-day ceasefire. Russia declined to do so, issuing a list of demands instead. On April 4, Russia hit a residential neighborhood in the city of Kryvyi Rih with ballistic missiles and drones, killing 19 people, including nine
"This is Russia's way of showing its true intentions – to continue terror as long as the world allows it," Zelensky said.
"It's a genuine economic partnership... we don't make any money unless they make money, and you know who doesn't like that? People with their hand in the till," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed in an interview released on April 4.
“We need to put pressure on them there — really put pressure, don't waste time on empty talk — to end this war," President Volodymyr Zelensky added.
The measures include the use of polygraph tests on those with access to the deal across several government ministries.
The U.S. Embassy to Ukraine's response to Russia's attack on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on April 4, which killed 19 people and injured 68, was "unpleasantly surprising," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 5.
Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev has been visiting not only the United States but several other countries in an effort to unlock frozen Russian assets, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a briefing on April 4.
Russia and the U.S. are continuing to hold private talks on the possibility of an unconditional ceasefire, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a visit to Chernihiv on April 3.
Amid the drama and turmoil created by Donald Trump’s second presidency, three Yale University professors last week announced they would be leaving the U.S. for Canada over concerns about the increasingly authoritarian direction their country is heading in. "I could feel the reign of terror spiraling," one of
"Trump is frustrated with both Zelensky and Putin as well, but we’re going to get there," U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, told Fox News. "What we want to have is a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire."
The ongoing saga of the U.S.-Ukraine natural resources deal has already caused seismic ruptures between Kyiv and Washington, temporarily costing Ukraine American military support and crucial intelligence sharing. Yet in the quest to placate U.S. President Donald Trump, and secure his support in the fight against Russia's
"As for this agreement and the NATO question, there is no mention of NATO in this agreement, and there never was," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 1.
"(W)e will hold a meeting on Friday, there will be a meeting of our military teams among several countries, a narrow circle of countries. Those who will be ready to deploy a contingent in one form or another," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 1.
Davyd Arakhamia's statement comes after the Economist reported that Ukraine's elections could be held in July 2025.
"There was an idea from Russia about a temporary administration that was not appreciated by the president," State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters during a press briefing on March 31. "Ukraine is... a constitutional democracy. Governance in Ukraine is determined by its constitution and the Ukrainian people."
Military representatives from the "coalition of the willing" will meet in Ukraine later this week to discuss peacekeeping troops and security guarantees.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and his family members declared $368,556 in income last year, an increase from the 2023 total.
"He's trying to back out of the rare earth deal and if he does that he's got some problems, big, big problems," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on March 29.
The comment followed Trump's phone call with NBC, during which he reportedly said he is "pissed off and very angry" about Putin's continued focus on President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Volodymyr Zelensky has been president of Ukraine since 2019. Born in Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city in central Ukraine, Zelensky was known as a media personality and actor before becoming Ukraine’s sixth president.
The 46-year-old’s transformation into a wartime leader saw his approval ratings rise from 37% before the full-scale invasion, to 90% in May 2022. His approval rating fell to 62% by the end of 2023.
Zelensky's five-year term officially ended in May 2024 but he remains president while martial law, enacted after the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, is in place. A February 2024 poll indicated that almost 70% of Ukrainians agree that Zelensky should remain in office and elections should be postponed until martial law is lifted.
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