Ukraine insists on an “immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 23 amid strained peace efforts and intensifying Russian attacks.

“That was the proposal put forward by the United States on March 11 of this year — and it was absolutely reasonable,” Zelensky said, referring to a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Kyiv signed off on during talks with the U.S. in Jeddah.

“This is absolutely possible – but only if Russia agrees and stops the killing."

The comments come after a planned ministerial meeting between Ukraine, the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany was downgraded after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped the event, casting doubt on the peace efforts.

Rubio’s move followed Zelensky ruling out the recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea as part of a potential deal. U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan reportedly includes the U.S. de jure recognizing Russian control over the peninsula.

The Ukrainian delegation in London, including Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, is now instead meeting European national security advisors, as well as U.S. officials.

“Today, we will discuss ways to achieve a full and unconditional ceasefire as the first step toward a comprehensive settlement and the achievement of a just and lasting peace,” Yermak said.

Zelensky underscored that while Ukraine calls for a ceasefire, Russia continues to launch deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities, inflicting heavy civilian casualties. Marhanets, Zaporizhzhia, Kupiansk, and Kherson were among those targeted by Russian forces in recent days.

The president also noted that hostilities decreased during the Easter holidays and repeated his calls for extending the truce for 30 days. Ukrainian officials accused Russia of violating its Easter ceasefire almost 3,000 times, though they acknowledged that the intensity of hostilities decreased in some aspects.

“Ukraine has repeatedly said that it does not rule out any format that can lead to a ceasefire and, ultimately, real peace,” Zelensky said.

“Stopping the killing is task number one. I am grateful to everyone who is focused on this goal and helps us move toward ending the war."

Vance expects territorial concessions from Russia, Ukraine in potential peace deal

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on April 23 that the U.S. presented a “very explicit proposal” to Russia and Ukraine on a peace deal, repeating warnings Washington might drop its peace effort if the belligerent sides refuse.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

The European Commission is exploring options to legally prohibit EU companies from signing new contracts for the supply of Russian gas, Reuters reported on April 22, citing an undisclosed senior EU official.

The EU is also considering ways to allow companies located in member states to terminate existing gas supply contracts with Russia without penalties, the official told Reuters.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Europe began to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels to stifle Russia’s revenue that finances its war chest.

The European bloc plans to completely phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, and the European Commission is expected to provide a plan by May 6 – a deadline postponed from March amid uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

The ban on new contracts aims to reduce European companies' spot purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG). Although Russian pipeline gas supplies have declined sharply since the all-out war, the EU increased its imports of Russian LNG last year.

The EU’s imports of Russian LNG in 2024 reached a record level, despite the bloc’s efforts to reduce its gas dependence after Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.

Europe must act on Russian LNG before Trump makes it impossible

Europe’s window to ban Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) is closing faster than we think. As a second Trump administration takes shape, Europe’s opportunity to impose new, meaningful measures on Russian fossil fuels is rapidly diminishing. U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war allegedly includes

The Kyiv IndependentSvitlana Romanko

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

U.S., U.K., German, French, and Ukrainian officials began their meeting on April 23 to discuss a path toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war, Sky News reported.

The meeting was to be held at a ministerial level, but was downgraded after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled his participation.

Rubio’s move followed President Volodymyr Zelensky ruling out the recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea as part of a potential deal. U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan reportedly includes the U.S. de jure recognizing Russian control over the peninsula.

The Ukrainian delegation, including Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, is now instead meeting European national security advisors, as well as U.S. officials.

The U.S. leadership was angered by Ukraine’s refusal to cede territory to Russia and by its insistence on a full ceasefire as the first step toward peace, leading to the disruption of the talks, an official source told the Washington Post.

“Despite everything, we continue working for peace,” Yermak said upon arrival in London.

“Today, we will discuss ways to achieve a full and unconditional ceasefire as the first step toward a comprehensive settlement and the achievement of a just and lasting peace."

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said that Kyiv is “ready to negotiate, but not surrender,” stressing the need for security guarantees and rejecting recognition of Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s territory.

Trump has said his country will abandon the peace efforts in the coming days unless progress is made. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to visit Russia for a high-level meeting this week, even though he skipped the talks with European and Ukrainian officials.

Trump’s reported ‘final’ peace plan includes accepting Russian occupation, few benefits for Ukraine

The U.S. reportedly presented its peace proposal last week during a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Paris.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Ukraine will not accept a peace agreement that would give Russia a chance to regroup for further attacks, and sees a full ceasefire as “the necessary first step,” Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on April 23.

“As Ukraine’s delegation meets with partners in London today, we reaffirm a principled position: Ukraine is ready to negotiate — but not to surrender,” Svyrydenko said.

The comments come as Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and Presidential Office chief Andriy Sybiha visit London to discuss a ceasefire plan with U.S. and European officials.

The meeting was meant to be held at a ministerial level and address a broader peace plan, but was downgraded after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — and subsequently other top diplomats — canceled participation.

Rubio’s move followed President Volodymyr Zelensky ruling out the recognition of the Russian annexation of Crimea as part of the deal. U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan reportedly includes the U.S. de jure recognizing Russian control over the peninsula and de facto recognizing Russian occupation of parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

The plan, first presented to Ukraine during talks in Paris on April 17, is also said to include a ban on Kyiv’s accession to NATO and only vague assurances for the invaded country.

“Our people will not accept a frozen conflict disguised as peace. We will never recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Svyrydenko said.

“And if NATO membership is not granted, Ukraine will require binding security guarantees—ones strong enough to deter future aggression, and clear enough to ensure lasting peace."

Trump has said his country will abandon the peace efforts in the coming days unless progress is made. He has not offered any security guarantees to Ukraine, though the U.S. does not oppose a potential European peacekeeping mission to monitor a potential ceasefire.

Trump’s reported ‘final’ peace plan includes accepting Russian occupation, few benefits for Ukraine

The U.S. reportedly presented its peace proposal last week during a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Paris.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

A ministerial meeting of U.S., European, and Ukrainian officials was postponed due to a “lack of consensus on some issues, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 23 after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others decided to skip the event.

The U.K.’s capital was to host a meeting between the chief diplomats of the U.K., France, Ukraine, and Germany, as well as Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

The parties were expected to agree on a common position on a peace deal, which Witkoff would then present to Russia during his visit later this week. The meeting was downgraded after most participants decided to skip it amid disagreements on key points of the reported U.S. peace plan.

The final version of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which he wants Russia and Ukraine to sign off on, requires significant concessions from the latter.

According to the peace proposal, the U.S. would de jure recognize Russia’s control over occupied Crimea and de facto accept Russia’s partial occupation of Ukrainian territories in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Kyiv must also give up its aspirations to join NATO.

“As far as we know, the two sides still haven’t come closer on some issues,” Peskov said at a press conference. The spokesperson added that there are “many nuances around the negotiations” and in areas “where the positions need to be brought closer."

Russia continues to engage with the U.S. on a possible settlement of the war in Ukraine, but not with Kyiv and Europe, Peskov said. Witkoff is still expected to visit Russia despite the breakdown of the London summit.

In light of the controversy over the U.S. peace initiative, the meeting in London is being held at a lower level. A Ukrainian delegation has already arrived, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov meeting their U.K. counterparts, David Lammy and John Healey.

The U.S. delegation at the meeting will be led by Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg. Germany will be represented by National Security Advisor Jens Plotner, and France by presidential advisor Emmanuel Bonne and senior diplomat Frederic Mondoloni.

Trump hopes to ‘end war’ this week. Here’s what you need to know

U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Russia and Ukraine could reach a war-ending deal “this week,” as his team threatens that Washington could ditch the peace talks efforts if no step is taken in the near future. “Both will then start to do big business with the United States

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

Russian air defenses on April 23 opened fire against drones in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia’s Tatarstan, the site of a Shahed-type drone factory, independent news channel Astra reported.

Astra and other Telegram channels shared purported footage of a drone being shot down. Shot channel identified the drones as Aeroprakt A-22 and UJ-22 Airborne unmanned aircraft.

Russian air defenses shot down one Ukrainian airplane-type drone in Tatarstan at about 12:20 p.m. local time, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed, without providing further details or mentioning Alabuga.

The Ukrainian military has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.

Alabuga lies more than 1,000 kilometers (over 600 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border. Ukrainian long-range drones struck the facility last April, aiming to disrupt Russian production of Shaheds and their Russian-made variants, Gerans, which are widely used in aerial attacks against Ukraine.

Over 6,000 Shahed-type drones were produced in Alabuga last year, as well as thousands of decoy drones used to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, said Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

“This year, Russia aims to produce 8,000-10,000 Shaheds/Gerans and 15,000 decoys in Alabuga,” Kovalenko said.

Throughout the full-scale war, Ukrainian long-range drones have targeted Russia’s industrial and military facilities deep in the rear to undermine its ability to wage its all-out war.

Chechen scholar: Russia’s cowardly violence in Ukraine is driven by desperation

For most people today, the word Chechnya immediately brings to mind Ramzan Kadyrov, the authoritarian leader who governs the region as a loyal vassal of Vladimir Putin. It evokes images of a turbulent, fear-stricken state at the mercy of the Kremlin’s whims. Yet, Chechnya’s story is far more

The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan

Editor’s note: This is issue 22 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly “Ukraine Reforms Tracker” covering events from April 14–20, 2025. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs.

The Kyiv Independent is republishing with permission.

Benchmarks and soft commitments with the IMF

Final stage nears in Ukraine’s search for Economic Security Bureau director

Ukraine’s selection commission is currently awaiting the results of background checks and is conducting integrity assessments of the 16 remaining candidates for the position of director of the Bureau of Economic Security.

Once the screenings are complete, the final stage of the competition — interviews — will follow. All 16 candidates have been approved to participate in the interviews, which will last up to 60 minutes each and be broadcast live on the Cabinet of Ministers’ website.

Following the interviews, the commission will nominate no more than two finalists, whose names will be submitted to the Prime Minister for appointment.

Obligations to the EU

Parliament approves three bills under Ukraine Facility commitments

Ukraine’s Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has passed three draft laws tied to country’s obligations under the EU-backed Ukraine Facility program:

• draft law #13107-d on vocational education reform was adopted in the first reading;
• draft law #5838, strengthening administrative accountability for misconduct by state regulatory officials, also passed in the first reading;
• draft law #12150, which aligns Ukraine’s electronic communications regulations with EU law, was approved in full.

Other key economic issues

Wife of Ukraine’s financial intelligence chief linked to firm tied to sanctioned oligarch

A new investigation by Bihus.Info has revealed that Natalia Pronina, wife of the head of Ukraine’s State Financial Monitoring Service, Filip Pronin, became a co-owner of Tesoro Management, a company previously linked to sanctioned oligarch Dmytro Firtash.

In 2024, Pronina was listed as a co-owner alongside Anna Sologub, who continues to serve as the firm’s director. Sologub had previously served on the audit commission of Rivneazot, a company affiliated with Firtash. According to corporate filings, she is currently a member of Rivneazot’s audit committee.

Tesoro Management, officially registered as a consulting firm with an office in central Kyiv and a functioning website, shows no signs of financial activity, according to Bihus.Info. Sologub herself confirmed to journalists that the company is not actively operating.

Filip Pronin is reported to have close ties to Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President.

Ukrainian parliament extends martial law and general mobilization until Aug. 6

On April 18, the Verkhovna Rada voted for the 15th time to extend martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days, until Aug. 6 under draft laws #13172 and #13173, respectively. The president has already signed both bills.

This Ukrainian mining company is losing hope in Trump’s minerals deal

Standing beside a sleepy village in Ukraine’s central Kirovohrad Oblast, the Zavalivskiy mine lies beneath layers of brown and pink earth, holding some 7.5 million metric tons of graphite ore — the second largest flake graphite mine in Europe. Like many mining companies in Ukraine, Zavalivskiy Graphite has lost

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

The following is the April 22, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here.

As a U.S.-proposed deal for Ukraine’s natural resources stalled amid months of tense negotiations, some in Ukraine who were initially optimistic about the agreement are starting to lose hope.

At least that’s how one graphite mine in Ukraine’s central Kirovohrad Oblast feels about it, business reporter Dominic Culverwell reports in his latest.

The Zavalivskiy mine, located in the village of Zavallia, holds some 7.5 million metric tons of graphite ore in the second largest flake graphite mine in Europe.

But the war has taken a big toll on the mine. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the company has lost nearly a third of its workforce. Production has plummeted from 15,000 metric tons annually to 850 metric tons last year and it’s lost around half of its customers around the world.

Which is why, when the minerals deal came about, the company’s CEO was pretty excited.

“I think that it would be really positive if the U.S. came to the Ukrainian mining market. They should spend money and time to build something, to mine something,” CEO Ostap Kostyuk told the Kyiv Independent in February, emphasizing the critical need for investments in the underfunded sector.

In Zavalivskiy Graphite’s case, innovation brought in through investors could involve high-tech equipment to purify graphite to a level suitable for use in batteries, called spherical graphite (SPG), which sells for $3,500- $10,000 per metric ton.

Machinery for SPG purification costs $30-40 million, which the currently unprofitable company can’t afford. Kostyuk was optimistic the Americans could bring in this technology and cooperate with Zavalivskiy to produce the highly purified graphite and break into a market dominated by China.

But as events unfolded, drafts of the deal were leaked to the public, and it became apparent the U.S. was proposing to gain unprecedented control over Ukraine’s sovereign natural resources as “repayment” for its military aid to Ukraine, Kostyuk lost the faith.

Even if the deal is signed this week, which is supposed to happen, the fears that it could be a win-lose for Ukraine have already settled in.

The minerals deal saga has left Kostyuk feeling that Ukraine is on the verge of being “scammed” and will end up on its own, indebted to its allies, Culverwell writes.

“We should recover ourselves. If this help is a debt, my kids and grandkids will pay this debt. So what can we do? We can’t do anything,” Kostyuk said in April.

Read the full story here.

Central Bank halts hikes

Following a series of rate hikes since the beginning of the year, Ukraine’s Central Bank held the interest rate at 15.5% as it expects inflation to begin cooling.

The bank also said, however, that “due to the high level of uncertainty, which has only increased over past months, the National Bank of Ukraine will respond flexibly to changes in the balance of risks to the price dynamics and inflation expectations.”

Price growth is expected to start slowing this summer after it hit its highest level since May 2023 in March, reaching 14.6%. The bank expects inflation to drop to 8.7% at the end of 2025 and reach a target of 5% in 2026.

Ukraine vs. Russia

Ukraine’s economic resilience may outlast Russia’s oil-funded war machine, says a new report by the London School of Economics' foreign policy think tank LSE IDEAS.

The report looks closely at how both Russia and Ukraine have adapted their economies to the demands of war. Despite the difficulties brought on by a full-scale invasion, the report finds that Ukraine — buoyed by external financing secured through 2027 and improved tax mobilization — is in a surprisingly strong negotiating position.

In contrast, Russia’s continued dependence on oil revenues makes it highly vulnerable to price volatility in global oil markets. The country is also facing a looming credit crunch and a potential systemic banking crisis, the report says.

While neither side is set up for “total victory,” Russia’s internal vulnerabilities may change its negotiating calculus in the year ahead, says Dr. Luke Cooper, author of the report and associate professorial research fellow in international relations.

“Even in the face of the (President Donald) Trump administration’s apparent pivot towards the Russian side, Ukraine and its European allies hold more ‘cards’ than many, including President Trump, seem to believe,” says Cooper.

Read the full report here.

What I’m watching

The spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank are happening this week in Washington, D.C., with President Donald Trump’s tariff spree expected to dominate talks.

But as Trump and his team take an axe to institutions — and the world order as we know it — people attending the talks are wondering what implications the Trump administration’s inward turn away from its global alliances will mean for institutions like the IMF and World Bank.

According to Jimena Zuniga of Bloomberg Economics, a weakened IMF and World Bank would put at risk the emerging markets around the world that rely on the IMF to respond to fiscal challenges such as high debt or shrinking reserves — a list of markets which includes Ukraine.

The IMF came to Ukraine’s aid at the start of the full-scale invasion, lending to a country at war for the first time in its nearly 80-year history. In March 2023, the IMF and Ukraine agreed on a loan program to provide Kyiv with $15.6 billion in financing for budget support over four years.

Stay tuned for more.

What else is in the news

Ukraine allocating one-third of defense budget for high-tech weapons production

The high-tech weaponry includes drones, electronic warfare systems, and missile technologies, Hlib Kanievskyi, a procurement chief at the Defense Ministry, said on April 21. Kanievskyi also said that the unification of technical standards for drones is among the key objectives for 2025 as the ministry looks to streamline procurement procedures, create a single framework for evaluating products, and accelerate decision-making.

Ukrainian airline resumes first regular flights since 2022, flying from Moldova to EU

Ukrainian airline SkyUp Airlines has made its first regular flight since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, flying on the Chisinau-Paris route on April 18, the AIN news outlet reported, citing the company’s press service. Another flight is scheduled for Lisbon, and the company will also operate routes to 11 cities in seven countries, including France, Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Czechia, and Sweden.

French court enforces $5 billion Crimea damages award against Russia in Naftogaz case

A French court has approved the enforcement of a $5 billion arbitration award against Russia for damages caused to Ukraine’s state-owned energy company Naftogaz during the occupation of Crimea, the company said on April 17. The decision allows Naftogaz to begin legal recovery efforts in France, including seizing Russian state assets to satisfy the award.

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The Trump administration fired a coordinator responsible for collecting data on war crimes committed by Russia during its full-scale war against Ukraine, the Washington Post (WP) reported on April 22, citing its undisclosed sources.

The news comes as the U.S. is trying to get Russia and Ukraine to sign a deal to end the all-out war while steadily scaling down its support of Kyiv.

The White House also disbanded the Justice Department’s War Crimes Accountability Team, headed by a coordinator, and dismantled a program to seize assets of sanctioned Russian oligarchs, the WP reported.

The Russian war crimes coordinator position was created in accordance with a law co-authored by then-Congressman Mike Waltz, the current national security advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Democratic Congressman Jason Crow, another co-author, told the Washington Post that if Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard “want to achieve lasting peace, they must be willing to hold (Russian President Vladimir) Putin accountable for the crimes he’s committed in Ukraine."

In mid-March, Washington exited from the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA).

The ICPA, which the U.S. joined in 2023, was established to collect evidence for the special tribunal for Russia that aims to bring the Russian government to justice for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, as well as to strip Putin and his associates of their immunity.

Trump hopes to ‘end war’ this week. Here’s what you need to know

U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Russia and Ukraine could reach a war-ending deal “this week,” as his team threatens that Washington could ditch the peace talks efforts if no step is taken in the near future. “Both will then start to do big business with the United States

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

Oleksandr Markushyn, the mayor of Irpin, has been involved in smuggling cars under the guise of providing aid to Ukraine’s defense forces, according to NGL Media’s investigation published on April 21.

Markushyn created and led a volunteer territorial community formation (DFTG) in late March 2022, in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Over the next few months, he personally applied for the duty-free import of vehicles to be used by the unit, NGL Media reported.

According to the customs, Infiniti QX30, Infiniti QX50, Nissan Navara, Volkswagen Touran, and Volkswagen Transporter were imported into Ukraine as humanitarian aid at Markushin’s request.

None of the vehicles were actually delivered to the Ukrainian defense forces, the investigation said.

Five cars imported to Ukraine duty-free were not registered in Ukraine’s Interior Ministry’s database either. Investigative journalists suggested that the cars were dismantled for parts and later sold, adding that there could be more such vehicles.

The Kyiv Independent has contacted Markushyn but has not received a response at the time of publication.

If his involvement in the scheme is proven, Markushyn may face imprisonment for five to seven years and a fine of over Hr 435,000 ($10,400).

Markushyn was elected mayor of Irpin in October 2020 for the New Faces political party.

In January, Kyiv’s Pecherskyi Court briefly placed Markushyn in custody and suspended him from office amid suspicions that he falsified his grounds for a stay in Italy in August 2022, already during the full-scale war.

Men aged 18-60 are not permitted to leave the country under martial law, barring special circumstances.

Markushyn is suspected of having visited his 2-year-old son in Italy even though he claimed to travel abroad to secure aid. The mayor considers the court case to be “politicized and ordered by his opponents."

This Ukrainian mining company is losing hope in Trump’s minerals deal

Standing beside a sleepy village in Ukraine’s central Kirovohrad Oblast, the Zavalivskiy mine lies beneath layers of brown and pink earth, holding some 7.5 million metric tons of graphite ore — the second largest flake graphite mine in Europe. Like many mining companies in Ukraine, Zavalivskiy Graphite has lost

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Ukraine does not want the U.S. to withdraw from peace talks on ending Russia’s full-scale invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 22 during a press conference.

Zelensky’s statement comes as Washington has announced it is ready to withdraw from the talks if Ukraine and Russia do not conclude a peace deal soon.

“This is a very dangerous moment. I don’t think it sends a very good signal if the U.S. pulls out. We really hope that President (Donald) Trump will support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky also stressed that Ukraine is an ally of the U.S., while Russia is an enemy.

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that 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.

Rubio added that Trump is interested in reaching a deal but has other priorities as well.

The final version of Trump’s peace plan, which he wants Russia and Ukraine to sign off on, requires significant concessions from the latter.

According to the peace proposal, the United States would de jure recognize Russia’s control over occupied Crimea and de facto accept Russia’s partial occupation of Ukrainian territories in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Kyiv must also give up its aspirations to join NATO.

Zelensky has already ruled out recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, after which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff moved to skip the London meeting on April 23.

The expected ministerial summit was then suspended, with the London meeting downgraded to a lower level.

Trump hopes to ‘end war’ this week. Here’s what you need to know

U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Russia and Ukraine could reach a war-ending deal “this week,” as his team threatens that Washington could ditch the peace talks efforts if no step is taken in the near future. “Both will then start to do big business with the United States

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov are meeting their U.K. counterparts, David Lammy and John Healey, in London on April 23, Sybiha said.

“We are grateful to the U.K. for its leadership and support. We will discuss ways to strengthen Ukraine and guarantee long-term peace and security,” Sybiha said on social media.

The Ukrainian delegation, also including Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, arrived in London after the expected ministerial meeting was postponed after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled his attendance.

A lower-level meeting among officials is still taking place, the U.K. Foreign Ministry said. Ukrainian delegates said they hope to discuss a potential ceasefire as part of broader peace efforts.

Rubio’s move came after President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly ruled out the possibility of recognizing the Russian annexation of Crimea.

The U.S.’s de jure recognition of Russia’s hold over the peninsula, occupied since 2014, is reportedly a key point in Washington’s peace proposal handed over to Kyiv last week.

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that his country would abandon the peace effort unless tangible progress is made soon.

Trump’s reported ‘final’ peace plan includes accepting Russian occupation, few benefits for Ukraine

The U.S. reportedly presented its peace proposal last week during a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Paris.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on April 23 that the U.S. presented a “very explicit proposal” to Russia and Ukraine on a peace deal, repeating warnings Washington might drop its peace effort if the belligerent sides refuse.

Talking to journalists during a visit to India, Vance said that it is time for Kyiv and Moscow “to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process."

The U.S. vice president also said that the two sides would have to give up some of the territory they control. Vance noted that eventual borders may not exactly follow the current front line but stressed it is currently necessary to lay down arms and “freeze” the war.

The comments follow reporting that the U.S. is ready to recognize Russia’s de jure control over Crimea and de facto control over occupied territories in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts as part of a peace deal.

Moscow occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine’s sovereign territory. This includes Crimea and parts of the Donbas region occupied in 2014, and additional territories conquered after the start of the full-scale war in 2022.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the possibility of recognizing Russian hold over Crimea.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said his country will abandon the ceasefire effort in the coming days unless progress is made. Top European, Ukrainian, and U.S. diplomats were set to discuss Trump’s peace plan in London on April 23, but the meeting was downgraded after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would not attend.

Trump’s reported ‘final’ peace plan includes accepting Russian occupation, few benefits for Ukraine

The U.S. reportedly presented its peace proposal last week during a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Paris.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

The U.S. does not call for reducing Ukraine’s military capabilities and is not opposed to a European peacekeeping force in the country, Reuters reported on April 23, citing two undisclosed diplomatic sources.

While these positions contradict Russia’s previously expressed demands, the U.S. ceasefire proposal has reportedly also included a demand for major concessions from Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s “final” ceasefire proposal, handed over to Ukrainian officials last week, includes the U.S. de jure recognizing Russian control over Crimea and de facto control over occupied territories in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, Axios reported.

Ukraine has already rejected the possibility of recognizing Russian hold over Crimea as legal, after which U.S. and European top ministers moved to skip the upcoming talks in London on April 23.

The meeting is still scheduled to take place on a lower level and in a closed format. The U.S. delegation will be led by Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg.

Russia has repeatedly called for the reduction of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, a demand strictly rejected by Kyiv and its European allies. Moscow has also opposed a peacekeeping force in Ukraine made up of NATO members, though not ruling out international monitors from “third-party” countries.

The ceasefire talks appear to be on a tight schedule, as the Trump administration has said it will abandon the effort unless tangible progress is made soon.

Reuters' diplomatic sources were skeptical about the possibility of a peace deal this week, as Trump suggested earlier.

Trump’s reported ‘final’ ceasefire offer includes accepting Russian occupation, few benefits for Ukraine

The U.S. reportedly presented its peace proposal last week during a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Paris.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Editor’s note: The story is being updated.

Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov arrived in London on April 23 to discuss the peace effort with U.S. and European officials.

The meeting will take place at a lower level than planned, as top U.S. and European diplomats are skipping the event amid reported disagreements on key points of the U.S. peace plan.

The Trump administration’s final proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war included U.S. de jure recognition of Russia’s control over Crimea, along with de facto recognition of its occupation of other Ukrainian territories, Axios reported on April 23, citing sources.

The news supports earlier reporting that the recognition of Russia’s occupation of Crimea and a ban on Ukraine joining NATO are being considered as part of a U.S.-backed proposal to end the war.

The U.S. reportedly presented its peace proposal last week during a meeting with Ukrainian officials in Paris. At the same time, Washington signaled that it would withdraw from the talks if the parties did not agree to conclude a peace agreement soon.

The U.S. peace plan will require significant concessions from Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky, Axios reported. In turn, the pitch outlines several “tangible gains” for Russia, the outlet’s source said.

According to U.S. President Donald Trump’s final peace proposal, Washington would de jure recognize the Russian control over Crimea and de facto recognize the occupation of Ukrainian territories in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts

The deal would also prevent Ukraine from joining NATO but permit EU membership, lift sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014, and include deeper energy and economic cooperation between the U.S. and Russia.

In return, the U.S. promises Ukraine “a robust security guarantee” backed by European countries and possibly non-European like-minded countries.

Trump’s proposal does not clearly outline how this peacekeeping mission would work or provide security guarantees. The document also does not mention the U.S. role in this mission.

According to the U.S. peace plan, Ukraine will get back a part of Kharkiv Oblast occupied by Russia, gain unimpeded passage of the Dnipro River, which flows along the front line in some parts of southern Ukraine, and receive compensation for the reconstruction of the country. The document does not specify how this will be financed.

The document also mentions the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is to be recognized as controlled by Ukraine but operated by the U.S. As the proposal reads, the electricity produced by the plant will be supplied to both Ukraine and Russia.

The U.S. expected Ukraine to respond to its peace plan in London on April 23, according to Axios.

Zelensky has already ruled out recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, after which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff moved to skip the London meeting. European and Ukrainian foreign ministers are also reportedly suspending their participation.

This Ukrainian mining company is losing hope in Trump’s minerals deal

Standing beside a sleepy village in Ukraine’s central Kirovohrad Oblast, the Zavalivskiy mine lies beneath layers of brown and pink earth, holding some 7.5 million metric tons of graphite ore — the second largest flake graphite mine in Europe. Like many mining companies in Ukraine, Zavalivskiy Graphite has lost

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least four civilians and injured at least 88, including children, over the past day, regional authorities reported on April 23.

Russia has intensified its attacks against Ukrainian cities and towns even as Kyiv proposed a 30-day truce on strikes against civilian infrastructure.

A Russian air strike against the city of Zaporizhzhia on April 22 killed a 69-year-old woman and injured at least 40 people, including children, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported. Multiple residential buildings and an educational facility were damaged.

Russian attacks against Dnipropetrovsk Oblast over the past day injured four men, aged 40, 48, 65, and 85, Governor Serhii Lysak said.

In Donetsk Oblast, three people were killed and seven injured in Russian attacks, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported. This included three people killed and four injured in an attack on Myrnohrad.

Russian forces launched at least 13 drones against the city of Kharkiv on April 22, injuring 10 people, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported. Elsewhere in Kharkiv Oblast, in the town of Kupiansk, seven people were injured in a Russian air strike, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Twelve people, including a child, were injured in Russian strikes in Kherson Oblast, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported. Two high-rise buildings, 12 houses, an ambulance, and cars were damaged.

A drone attack against Odesa’s suburb started multiple fires and injured two people, according to Governor Oleh Kiper.

Russian forces launched 13 drones against the city of Poltava, injuring six people, three of whom have been hospitalized. Governor Volodymyr Kohut said that houses, multi-story buildings, warehouses, office buildings, and cars were damaged.

Zelensky rules out recognizing Crimea as Russian, warns against playing into Putin’s ‘game’

“There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Editor’s note: The story is being updated. The article includes graphic content.

A Russian drone attack against the town of Marhanets in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on the morning of April 23 killed at least nine people and injured at least 30, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.

The drone hit a bus carrying employees of a company, Lysak said.

The full extent of damage and casualties is being determined.

Marhanets, a town with a pre-war population of 45,000, lies in the southern part of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, close to the destroyed Kakhovka Reservoir and Russian-occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Russia has intensified its attacks against Ukrainian cities and towns even as Kyiv proposed a 30-day truce on strikes against civilian infrastructure.

Chief diplomats of the U.K., France, Ukraine, and Germany have suspended their plans to attend the talks in London on how to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, Sky News reported on April 23.

The news comes as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff also backed out of the meeting after Kyiv rejected an alleged U.S. plan to recognize Russian occupation of Crimea as part of a peace deal.

This effectively downgrades the level of the April 23 meeting, which will instead be led by other senior nationals. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is nevertheless expected to visit London and separately meet his U.K. counterpart, David Lammy, Sky News reported.

The U.S. was reported to present Ukraine with a ceasefire proposal during talks in Paris on April 17, which included the legal recognition of Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, under Russian occupation since 2014.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out such a move, stressing the territory remains Ukraine’s sovereign soil and the recognition of Russian occupation would violate the Constitution.

Zelensky warned that any discussion of Crimea risks shifting negotiations into a framework dictated by the Kremlin. He said such proposals play directly into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “game."

The rejection comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has warned he would abandon peace efforts unless there is tangible progress.

According to Axios, the U.S. delegation in London will be led by Special Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg. Kyiv reportedly hopes to discuss a 30-day ceasefire proposal during the meeting, rather than Trump’s broader peace plan.

The Financial Times also reported that Putin has offered the U.S. to halt his full-scale invasion of Ukraine along the current front line, a claim disputed by the Kremlin’s press office.

Ukraine war latest: Explosions rock what could be one of Russia’s largest weapons arsenals in Vladimir Oblast

Key developments on April 22: * Explosions rock what could be one of Russia’s largest weapons arsenals in Vladimir Oblast * Putin offers US to freeze Ukraine war along current front line, FT reports * Zelensky rules out recognizing Crimea as Russian, warns against playing into Putin’s ‘game’ * Russia used Easter truce to

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

Russia has lost 944,270 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on April 23.

The number includes 1,210 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

According to the report, Russia has also lost 10,691 tanks, 22,307 armored fighting vehicles, 45,621 vehicles and fuel tanks, 26,774 artillery systems, 1,368 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,141 air defense systems, 370 airplanes, 335 helicopters, 33,526 drones, 3,148 cruise missiles, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.

Ukraine war latest: Explosions rock what could be one of Russia’s largest weapons arsenals in Vladimir Oblast

Key developments on April 22: * Explosions rock what could be one of Russia’s largest weapons arsenals in Vladimir Oblast * Putin offers US to freeze Ukraine war along current front line, FT reports * Zelensky rules out recognizing Crimea as Russian, warns against playing into Putin’s ‘game’ * Russia used Easter truce to

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk