Key developments on April 18:
- U.S. proposes leaving occupied areas under Russian control, easing sanctions, Bloomberg reports
- 'You're fools' — US may 'take a pass' on Ukraine-Russia talks if either side stalls, Trump says
- "Not our war" — US may drop Russia-Ukraine ceasefire efforts unless progress is made, Rubio says
- Kremlin spokesman claims "progress" in peace talks but says energy ceasefire period has expired
- Russian missile attack on Kharkiv on Good Friday kills 1, injures 112
U.S. proposals for a peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine would leave the occupied territories under Russian control and ease sanctions against Moscow, Bloomberg reported on April 18, citing unnamed European officials.
The reports came a day after ceasefire talks between European, Ukrainian, and U.S. officials in Paris, where the outlines of the U.S. plan were discussed.
U.S. officials told European counterparts during meetings that they aim to secure a full ceasefire in Ukraine within weeks, Bloomberg reported, citing undisclosed sources.
Washington's proposals include an effective freeze on Russia's war, and Kyiv's aspirations to join NATO would also be off the table, according to Bloomberg's sources.
It is not clear if the U.S. is proposing recognizing Russia's de facto control over the occupied territories or de jure recognition of them as Russian.
One of the officials told Bloomberg that the U.S. plans, which require further discussion with Kyiv, would not be a final settlement and that European allies would not recognize the occupied territories as Russian.
The officials also told Bloomberg that if Russia does not agree to stop the fighting, the talks would be in vain. They reportedly said that providing Ukraine with security guarantees to ensure any deal is essential.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said that Ukraine would not recognize the occupied regions as Russian as part of any peace deal.
Kollen Post
'You're fools' — US may 'take a pass' on Ukraine-Russia talks if either side stalls, Trump says
Washington is ready to cease its mediation efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine if one of the sides "makes it very difficult" to settle, U.S. President Donald Trump told journalists on April 18.
"If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say: 'you're foolish, you're fools, you're horrible people,' and we're just going to take a pass. But hopefully we won't have to do that," Trump said.
His statement echoes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarks. Earlier in the day, Rubio said that the U.S. would abandon its attempts to negotiate a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia in the following days if there is no signal that an agreement is reachable.
Rubio's statement was "communicating the (U.S.) president’s views," CNN reported on April 18, citing an undisclosed source.
Trump also dismissed concerns that Russia is "playing" with Washington instead of engaging in meaningful negotiations.
"Nobody is playing with anybody. We're going to see if we can get it done. I think we have a really good chance of getting it done," he said.
Trump began his presidency by pledging to broker a ceasefire within 24 hours, eventually extending this deadline to 100 days.
These efforts have largely stalled, as Russia continues to reject a full 30-day ceasefire backed by Washington and Kyiv, and a partial truce on strikes against energy facilities has failed to hold.
The White House has grown increasingly frustrated with the delayed peace process, as Trump has chastised both Ukraine and Russia for failing to reach a deal.
Oleg Sukhov
'Not our war' — US may drop Russia-Ukraine ceasefire efforts unless progress is made, Rubio says
The U.S. will cease its attempts to negotiate a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia in the following days if there is no signal that an agreement is reachable, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 18.
Speaking after meeting European and Ukrainian officials in Paris, Rubio said that U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in reaching a deal but has other priorities as well.
Trump began his presidency by pledging to broker a ceasefire within 24 hours, eventually extending this deadline to 100 days.
"We're not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end. So we need to determine very quickly now, and I'm talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks," Rubio said.
"If it is, we're in. If it's not, then we have other priorities to focus on as well."
The U.S. president has also repeatedly laid the blame for the war on President Volodymyr Zelensky and former U.S. President Joe Biden, calling Russia's invasion "Biden's war."
Rubio echoed this sentiment in Paris, saying, "I think it’s important to remind everybody that the Ukraine war is a terrible thing, but it's not our war. We didn't start it."
Speaking to journalists, Rubio also said that the U.S. "spent three years, billions of dollars supporting the Ukrainian side... but now we’ve reached the point where we have other things we have to focus on."
Tim Zadorozhnyy
Kremlin spokesman claims 'progress' in peace talks but says energy ceasefire period has expired
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 18 that there had been progress in peace talks but added that the one-month period for a ban on energy infrastructure strikes had expired.
He did not elaborate on whether Russia is planning to resume attacks on energy facilities or extend the ban.
"We believe that certain progress can, in fact, already be acknowledged," Peskov said. "There are already some developments, but, of course, there are still many complicated discussions ahead."
He cited a partial ceasefire on strikes against energy facilities as a sign of progress, falsely claiming that Russia had complied with it and accusing Ukraine of violating the agreement.
Russia first mentioned that it was ready to stop strikes on infrastructure facilities for one month on Feb. 18. Ukraine agreed to the proposal following talks with the U.S. in Riyadh on March 25.
Since then, Moscow has violated the ceasefire more than 30 times, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on April 16.
Peskov added, however, that the one-month period for the energy infrastructure ceasefire had expired.
"The one-month period has indeed expired," he said. "At the moment, there have been no other instructions from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of Russia Vladimir Putin."
Tim ZadorozhnyyRussian missile attack on Kharkiv on Good Friday kills 1, injures 112
A Russian missile strike on Kharkiv on the morning of April 18 killed one person and injured at least 112 others, including eight children, authorities reported.
“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.
The attack damaged at least 20 apartment buildings, 30 houses, and an educational institution. A fire broke out on the premises of an enterprise, covering an area of 450 square meters.
The attack came as Russia continues to reject a U.S.-mediated proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire. Kyiv reiterated that it would be ready to accept the truce if Moscow agreed to abide by the terms.
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