Ambassador says German minister was against helping Ukraine, thought it would fall within hours.

"This collaboration serves as a testament to our country's commitment to the defense of democratic values, to freedom, and to a just and lasting peace," Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said during a visit to Kyiv.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius unveiled a new national military strategy on April 22 in light of Russia's growing threat. It marks Germany's first such strategy since World War II.

At a press conference in Kyiv on April 22, Ukraine’s Deposit Guarantee Fund and Polish fintech Zen.com, registered in Lithuania, said the company had acquired First Investment Bank, known as PINbank, which was transferred to the state in 2023 and later declared insolvent.

While Russia has made it clear that resuming dialogue with Ukraine is not a top priority, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin would meet with Zelensky — under certain conditions.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian representatives have continued discussions with the U.S. side and held talks on April 21.

"The main thing is that Donetsk Oblast and Luhansk Oblast remain Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Vladimir Plahotniuc was Moldova's wealthiest businessman and de facto controlled the country's government in the 2010s in what critics described as a "captured state." His fall from grace is seen by his opponents as part of Moldova's alignment with European liberal and democratic values.

14 settlements in Luhansk Oblast are not under Russian control, Ukraine's military told the Kyiv Independent.

"Everything is ready… so I hope we can start very soon, even under the Cyprus presidency for cluster one," EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told the Kyiv Independent.

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.