Ukraine returned over 2,100 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, Zelensky says

The Kyiv Independent’s Kateryna Denisova sits down with Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's former foreign minister, to discuss U.S.-led peace talks, Donald Trump’s approach to Ukraine, Europe’s role in ending the war, and why he believes neither Washington nor Moscow can impose a settlement on Kyiv.

The news comes after Hungary and Slovakia said Ukraine had resumed oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline, with the first deliveries expected by April 23.

Out of the 2,100 children, 150 have been returned to Ukraine since the beginning of 2026.

It is increasingly likely that the European Union will formally back a new court with a mandate to prosecute Russia's leadership for the crime of aggression, a senior official in the EU's diplomatic arm told the Kyiv Independent.

EU ambassadors agreed on the 20th package of sanctions imposed against Moscow in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on April 22, after Hungary and Slovakia lifted their veto over the measures.

The number includes 1,140 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

"We have imposed sanctions on those individuals, the Russian participants. And we are now raising the issue to ensure they are not granted visas. We very much hope that we will be heard... and expect that visas will not be issued," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.

Russian forces launched 215 drones against Ukraine overnight, of which 189 were downed or jammed.

The U.S. has run through over half of its stockpiles of key air defense missiles during the nearly two-month war on Iran.

Kyiv faces a defense gap of 19.6 billion euros ($23.1 billion) this year, even after accounting for funds already committed and the 90-billion-euro Ukraine Support Loan that's on its way.

"(President Volodymyr Zelensky's) position is clear: no 'ersatz membership' — we will not accept any of them. This is a firm position," Sybiha said at a closed-door meeting with journalists attended by the Kyiv Independent.

Photos and videos posted on social media purport to show several damaged residential buildings in the city amid reports of falling drones debris.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 21 that he was extending Washington's ceasefire with Iran until Tehran "can come up with a unified proposal" to bring an end to the war.

Ukrainian officials involved in recent peace talks reportedly suggested that part of the Donbas could be renamed "Donnyland" in honor of U.S. President Donald Trump, the New York Times reported April 21.