A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Political Developments
The Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts continue. International press have been circulating details of President Donald Trump’s peace proposal for Ukraine, which would recognize Russia’s territorial gains in exchange for ending the conflict. Ukraine would be barred from joining NATO, but will not be excluded from joining non-military blocs such as the European Union. Washington would meanwhile lift its economic sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014.
President Zelensky has said he would not recognize Russian control of Crimea. President Trump said Zelensky was prolonging the war by ceding the territory. In return, Zelensky shared an image of the 2018 Crimea Declaration from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released during the first Trump administration. That declaration rejected Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff ended the week in Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials for negotiations.
Putin may be willing to freeze operations along the frontlines in Ukraine, a step he would take in exchange for recognition of the 2014 annexation of Crimea as well as Russian battlefield acquisitions since 2022, the Financial Times reported this week. Sources familiar with U.S.-Russia talks said that Russia may be willing to abandon its claims to the Ukrainian-held portions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk.
Separate talks between Kyiv and Washington regarding a possible mineral deal remain ongoing, as well. Last week, the sides inked a memorandum of intent regarding the future deal — but there are still some differences over the document, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko told Reuters in a Thursday interview.
A car bomb killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, a high-ranking officer in Russia’s General Staff, on Friday just outside Moscow, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. This marks the second car bomb assassination of a senior Russian military official in the past four months.
President Zelensky’s historic visit to South Africa, aimed at countering Russian influence, was cut short by a Russian airstrike on Kyiv, despite marking a significant diplomatic improvement between the two nations. The visit, the first by a Ukrainian head of state in 33 years, was seen as a diplomatic breakthrough.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced he plans to attend Russia’s Victory Day military parade, which will be held in Moscow next month. Officials from the European Union said the visit could hurt Serbia’s efforts to join the EU.
President Zelensky claimed Chinese citizens are working in a Russian drone factory, and that those personnel may have provided Russia with Chinese technologies outside of official channels. The president has not released evidence of the allegation.
Military Assistance to Ukraine
European governments have deliberated sending a peacekeeping military contingent to Ukraine as part of a post-war settlement, but The Times reported this week that London has ruled out participating in any such deployment, which would be seen as risking direct war with Russia. The U.K. may instead work with France to set up military training centers in Western Ukraine.
The Norwegian and Ukrainian Prime Ministers held dialogue this week while in Washington on joint weapons production. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in a statement, “We count on the Norwegian government’s support for companies interested in investing in Ukraine. This is not just an investment in Ukraine’s defense capabilities but also in the security of all of Europe.”
Denmark announced its 25th package of military aid to Ukraine this week, pledging to deliver DKK317 million ($48.2 million) worth of artillery ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Battlefield Updates
Russia’s air campaign against Ukraine continued this week. On Easter, Russia carried out strikes on targets throughout Ukraine, launching 96 drones and three missiles. Another aerial attack took place during the night of April 22-23. Ukraine said its defenders shot down 67 attack drones in that latter attack.
On Thursday, Russia performed a bombardment of Kyiv, killing at least 12 with a series of weapons including a North Korean-made KN-23 short-range ballistic missile. The attack prompted President Zelensky to cut his trip to South Africa short, while U.S. President Donald Trump issued a statement calling on Russia’s Vladimir Putin to halt the airstrikes.
Russian troops recaptured the village of Oleshnya in Kursk over the weekend on Saturday. The village was one of the last still under Ukrainian control.
Shield AI has announced that its Kyiv-based operations team has completed more than 130 V-BAT VTOL UAV sorties in Ukraine. Conducted in harsh electronic warfare (EW) environments alongside Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), the sorties supported both operator training and enabled operational missions—strengthening frontline readiness ahead of Ukraine’s spring campaign.
Ukrainian forces have released videos showing a Javelin anti-armor missile striking Russian armored vehicle. One engagement involved Ukraine’s 18th Battalion of the 35th Marine Infantry Brigade using a Javelin to destroy a Russian tank.
Ukraine’s military intelligence claimed this week that saboteurs damaged a Russian Su-30SM (35 red) while it was parked at an airfield in Rostov-on-Don.
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