The Kyiv Independent sat down with the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, John Herbst, to discuss the future of the U.S. policy towards Ukraine as it continues its defense against Russia’s aggression.

The Kyiv Independent sat down with the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, John Herbst, to discuss the future of the U.S. policy towards Ukraine as it continues its defense against Russia’s aggression.






Ukraine appointed a new head of the country's customs service, fulfilling a long-delayed commitment to international partners as part of a reform push.
The group of MEPs, led by Lithuanian liberal Petras Austrevicius, wrote that their request was motivated by news that the Hungarian government was "deliberately sharing confidential information obtained during EU Council meetings with the Putin regime."
The suspect was detained in Odesa after authorities said they had tracked his movements and intercepted the assassination attempt targeting a senior Ukrainian Navy officer.
"Russia must not return to the international cultural space while the war continues. Ukraine will continue to defend this position on all international platforms," Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna wrote.
Speaking to journalists at a closed-door briefing on April 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that such requests were made at "various levels," from the political to the military leadership.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine has deployed military experts to multiple Middle Eastern countries, helping shoot down Iranian-made Shahed drones in exchange for fuel and interceptor drones.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's assessment, which cites new Russian military maps he reviewed with his top military chiefs, comes after Russia reported capturing the key logistics hub city of Pokrovsk in December 2025.
Russian forces launched 128 drones against Ukraine overnight, of which around 85 were Shahed-type drones, the Air Force said.
The number includes 1,130 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Zelensky said that it is "difficult to say" if the visit will happen soon or if the meeting will take place in another location involving all three negotiating teams.
Ukraine expects to complete the repairs of the Druzhba pipeline this spring, but the "responsibility for the supply itself will lie with the Europeans," Zelensky told journalists.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on April 9 that the question of Ukraine’s potential membership in the alliance is unlikely to be settled anytime soon due to a lack of political consensus among member states.
Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev is currently in the United States holding meetings with officials from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, according to sources cited by Reuters.
Hungary's opposition Tisza party holds a 13-point lead over Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party ahead of the April 12 parliamentary elections, according to a public opinion poll released on April 9.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 9 announced a ceasefire for the upcoming Orthodox Easter weekend, after previously ignoring Ukraine's calls for a similar truce.



