Ukraine to receive $1.7 billion grant from USAID

Ukraine's imports of electricity dropped by 25% in March compared to the previous month, as the country emerges from a devastating winter brought on by Russian attacks on the energy grid.

The move is a "natural and inevitable step towards European integration," the Moldovan parliament said.

According to Gazprom, the Russkaya compression station, located in Krasnodar Krai near the Black Sea coast, was undamaged as all drones were shot down.

"Where did the (first) oil shipment come from? A Russian vessel broke through the blockade," Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov said.

"It should be obvious and honestly stated upfront that membership in a customs union with both the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is impossible," Putin said publicly during his meeting with Pashinyan on April 1.

The number includes 1,300 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Russian city of Ufa in the early hours of April 2, independent media reported.

The address marked Trump's first major speech on the war since the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strike on Feb. 28. It comes as Trump faces backlash at home — and unenthusiastic support abroad — for the U.S. war in Iran.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on April 1 that its forces had "completed" the occupation of Luhansk Oblast. The Ukrainian military dismissed the claim as propaganda.

Outraged at European countries' refusal to help the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatened to halt the PURL program selling U.S. weapons to NATO for use in Ukraine, officials told the Financial Times.

"A pause on Easter could serve as a signal to everyone that diplomacy can succeed," Zelensky said.