The future of Harvard’s Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) publishing program is in jeopardy, as it has become the latest target of sweeping grant cuts under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an independent U.S. federal agency, informed HURI that there was “reasonable cause to terminate (their) grant in light of the fact that the NEH is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda,” Oleh Kotsyuba, director of publications at HURI, wrote on Facebook on April 3.

Founded in 1973, the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University is dedicated to cultivating new generations of scholars in Ukrainian history, language, and culture.

Over the past three and a half years, its publishing program has taken a leading role in translating both classic and contemporary works of Ukrainian literature. This endeavor has gained heightened urgency and global significance in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, which is the latest chapter in a centuries-long Russian campaign to destroy Ukrainian culture and national sovereignty.

“(The work that we do) has helped me get through very dark times after Russia attacked Ukraine, knowing that these books would help educate the world about Ukraine and bring it closer to people,” Kotsyuba told the Kyiv Independent.

Now, that work is at risk. The loss of federal funding places the imminent publication of several books in limbo — and raises broader concerns about the future of cultural and academic initiatives under Trump’s administration.

Multifaceted Ukrainian literature

Since the start of their work three and a half years ago, HURI has published 14 books by Ukrainian authors in translation.

“My main goal with this series has been to show how diverse, multifaceted, rich, and self-sufficient Ukrainian literature is — and how Ukrainian authors have always focused on ethical issues in their works,” Kotsyuba said.

The grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, which was just under $200,000, would have enabled HURI to showcase classic Ukrainian literature through a series of book publications, enabling English-language readers to engage with Ukraine’s history beyond the long shadow of Russian imperial narratives.

“The project that I was most excited about was an anthology of Ukrainian-Jewish poetry, edited by Ostap Kin,” Kotsyuba said.

“Because we won’t be able to hire an editor, we may have to postpone the publication of this important book — although we’ll do everything in our power to prevent that from happening.”

Other planned publications included Uilleam Blacker’s translation of 20th-century Ukrainian poet and prose writer Maik Yohansen’s experimental novel “Dr. Leonardo’s Journey to Sloboda Switzerland with his Future Lover, the Beautiful Alcesta.”

Yohansen was a prominent figure of Ukraine’s literary avant-garde in the 1920s. In 1937, he was arrested and executed by the Soviet secret police for taking a stand against the regime’s targeted repression of the Ukrainian intelligentsia.

HURI also planned to release more of 19th-century Ukrainian author Lesia Ukrainka’s work with the support of the NEH grant, namely “The Boyar’s Wife” and “The Blue Rose,” according to Kotsyuba.

"The Boyar's Wife" follows a Ukrainian woman married to a nobleman in Moscow as she struggles with Russians' different mentality and customs and longs for her homeland.

“The Blue Rose” explores the tension between dreams and reality as a young woman in love struggles to break free from society’s traditional constraints.

Ukrainka was not only the foremost feminist voice in Ukrainian literature but also a powerful emblem of Ukrainian national identity and cultural resistance against Russian imperialism. Through her work, Ukrainka positioned Ukrainian literature within the broader currents of European intellectual and philosophical thought.

“These books could have filled gaps, made previously unknown works available, and introduced more voices from Ukraine. They are vital in broadening the (global) understanding of Ukraine and its culture,” Ostap Kin told the Kyiv Independent.

A larger, worrying trend

The funding cuts impacting HURI are part of a broader trend that has accelerated since the beginning of Trump's second term in January.

In late March, the U.S. State Department informed Congress of plans to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), redistributing some of its functions under its direct jurisdiction.

This move followed the announcement of significant cuts to USAID, which has long been a critical source of support for civic, health, and cultural initiatives, not just in Ukraine but around the world.

“We are reorienting our foreign assistance programs to align directly with what is best for the United States and our citizens,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed in a post on X on March 28.

In the wake of these setbacks, organizations like HURI are turning to their supporters for help.

In his Facebook post about the NEH funding cuts, Kotsyuba asked those with the financial means to support the publication program and encouraged both university and local libraries to purchase their books. He also stressed the importance of spreading awareness about the vital work they do.

“We will continue doing what we can to the best of our ability given the resources that we have,” Kotsyuba said.

“But — over three years into Russia's war — it will be a lot more difficult.”

Note from the author:

Hey there, it's Kate Tsurkan, thanks for reading my latest article. Learning that publishing Ukrainian literature in translation doesn't "align" with Trump's agenda was just the latest absurd and sad news to come out of my native U.S., and so I just had to write about it. I hope you learned about the work of this great publishing house and the important work they do. If you like reading this sort of thing, please consider becoming a member of the Kyiv Independent.

Ukrainian author Oksana Zabuzhko on why Ukrainians ‘don’t have to respect Pushkin’

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The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan

Any peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will be “difficult to digest,” but it is preferable to continued war, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on April 4.

“It will be extremely difficult to digest any proposal,” Fidan said. “But when we look at the other option, which is more death and destruction, I think whatever the conditions that we have… will be more reasonable."

Fidan said Turkey supports a U.S. initiative to end the war but acknowledged that the sides remain “a little bit far away” from reaching a peace deal.

His comments follow repeated statements from U.S. officials that Ukraine and Russia will have to make concessions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on March 10 that Ukraine would need to cede territory as part of a potential agreement.

Kyiv had agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire in U.S.-mediated talks in Jeddah on March 11, but Russia rejected it unless it included conditions limiting Ukraine’s military capabilities, such as ending foreign military aid.

Instead, Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. reached a partial ceasefire covering energy infrastructure and the Black Sea. Two days later, Zelensky accused Russia of striking Kherson’s energy facilities, calling for a response from Washington.

While U.S. President Donald Trump has occasionally proposed measures such as additional sanctions and tariffs on Russia, he has not taken concrete steps to pressure Moscow, which continues its offensive operations.

Turkey, a NATO member, has maintained ties with both Kyiv and Moscow since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. While it has backed Ukraine’s territorial integrity and supplied military aid, Ankara has refrained from imposing sanctions on Russia.

US to know whether Russia ‘serious about peace’ with Ukraine in coming weeks, Rubio says

“We will know soon enough, in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not. I hope they are,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a law on April 4 to formally begin Armenia’s accession process to the European Union, Armenia’s presidential press service announced.

The document does not mean immediate accession, but reflects the “aspirations of citizens.” European integration is now part of Armenian legislation.

The Armenian parliament passed the bill, “On starting the process of accession of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union,” in its final reading on March 26.

The initiative, launched as a civil petition after gathering 60,000 signatures, was backed by 64 lawmakers, with seven voting against it. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stressed that the process can only proceed if the Armenian people approve it in a referendum.

The Kremlin previously warned that a country cannot be a member of both the EU and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

“Being members of two different organizations, hypothetically speaking, is simply impossible,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

The EAEU, founded in 2015, consists of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan and is widely seen as a tool for Moscow to maintain influence over former Soviet states.

Armenia’s growing rift with Russia accelerated after the Kremlin failed to prevent Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, leading to the mass exodus of the region’s Armenian population.

Pashinyan previously said that while Armenia seeks closer ties with the EU, full membership remains uncertain.

The European Parliament urged the EU to deepen ties with Armenia in a March 2023 resolution, noting that the country meets the Maastricht Treaty’s requirements to apply for membership.

Trump to attend NATO summit in The Hague in June, Sikorski says

U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the NATO summit in The Hague in June, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on April 4, Reuters reported.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Ukraine is currently conducting domestic procedures to finalize a minerals agreement with the United States, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha as reported by Suspline.

Currently, the document is under review to ensure it aligns with Ukraine's Constitution. "The agreement cannot contradict our European integration; we’ve been clear with the Americans," Sybiha stated. He emphasized that one of the top law firms should be involved in the analysis to work alongside the American side and assist Ukraine. It's anticipated that a Ukrainian delegation will head to the U.S. soon for further negotiations, with an online round possibly taking place today.

U.S. President Donald Trump previously claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to abandon the minerals agreement with the U.S., as reported by Reuters. Trump warned Zelensky of "big, big problems" if he declines the deal.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Behnette indicated that a Ukrainian delegation might arrive in the U.S. late this week or early next week, with the date still being finalized according to the Office of the President of Ukraine.

The Washington Post reported that the new minerals agreement proposed by the U.S. seems as though Ukraine fought and lost a war with Americans and is now bound to pay lifetime reparations, according to Washington Post. Currently, the agreement lacks security guarantees for Ukraine, with all U.S. support during the war treated as a debt payable from agreement revenues with interest. Moreover, the American side seeks control not only over rare earth metals extraction but over all minerals and related infrastructure.

The U.S. will know within weeks whether Russia is serious about a peace deal with Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 4, Reuters reported.

“We will know soon enough, in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not. I hope they are,” Rubio said. He added that if the process drags on unnecessarily, U.S. President Donald Trump would not engage in “endless negotiations about negotiations."

His remarks follow reports that Trump is increasingly frustrated by continued aerial strikes from both Russia and Ukraine despite his mediation efforts.

The Telegraph reported on March 23 that Trump is growing angry over the ongoing attacks, while NBC News said on March 30 that he is “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fixation on President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“We’re testing to see if the Russians are interested in peace. Their actions — not their words, their actions — will determine whether they’re serious or not, and we intend to find that out sooner rather than later,” Rubio said.

Kyiv had agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire in U.S.-mediated talks in Jeddah on March 11, but Russia rejected it unless it included conditions limiting Ukraine’s military capabilities, such as ending foreign military aid.

Instead, Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. reached a partial ceasefire covering energy infrastructure and the Black Sea. Two days later, Zelensky accused Russia of striking Kherson’s energy facilities, calling for a response from Washington.

Moscow denied the attack, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claiming Russia had adhered to the agreement but “reserves the right” to abandon it if Ukraine violates the terms.

The Russian side accused Ukraine of striking the Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Oblast, a claim Kyiv dismissed as an attempt to justify further attacks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 1 that Moscow had sent a list of alleged Ukrainian ceasefire violations to the U.S., the U.N., and OSCE.

Zelensky ordered Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on March 28 to provide Washington with proof of Russian ceasefire violations. The U.S. has not yet responded to either side’s claims.

While Trump has occasionally floated measures such as extra sanctions and tariffs on Russia, he has yet to take concrete steps to pressure Moscow, which continues its offensive operations.

Kremlin denies Putin, Trump to have phone call in coming days

“No, there are no plans for the next few days yet. There’s nothing on the schedule yet,” Dmitriy Peskov said.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the NATO summit in The Hague in June, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on April 4, Reuters reported.

The announcement follows comments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said Trump is committed to supporting NATO and that the U.S. remains an active member of the alliance.

Sikorski echoed Rubio’s statement, adding that Trump remains committed to NATO’s Article 5 on mutual defense and will attend the NATO summit in The Hague from June 24 to 26.

Trump has long been a critic of the U.S.’s NATO partners, saying he would not defend those who fail to meet defense spending targets, directly challenging the alliance’s principle of collective defense.

Trump has accused European countries of not contributing their fair share to the alliance’s defense needs. His administration has also signaled that its strategic focus is shifting from Europe to the Indo-Pacific region.

The Netherlands, which will host the summit, also expects to see President Volodymyr Zelensky in The Hague, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told European Pravda on April 4.

Veldkamp said Zelensky will be invited to participate in the summit, but it is too early to discuss the possible outcomes, as negotiations with Russia to establish at least a temporary truce are still ongoing.

“It is too early to say what exactly will happen in The Hague. But I expect President Zelensky to be there,” Veldkamp said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that as of April 4, Ukraine had not yet received an invitation for Zelensky to attend the NATO summit in The Hague.

Every finding is a key: The mission to recover Ukraine’s fallen soldiers (Photos)

Editor’s note: This story contains graphic images. War leaves behind more than ruins and destroyed cities — it carves an invisible mark in the form of the missing and the dead. One of the most painful and challenging aspects of war is the fate of fallen soldiers, whose bodies remain

The Kyiv IndependentViacheslav Ratynskyi

Ukraine is conducting an internal audit regarding the minerals deal with the U.S, analyzing its compliance with the Ukrainian Constitution, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Suspilne on April 4.

The news comes after Washington and Kyiv reportedly discussed the draft on the expanded minerals agreement proposed by the U.S. at the end of March.

Sybiha said the minerals deal “cannot contradict European integration, we are telling the Americans that."

One of the glaring issues is that the latest version of the deal conflicts with a critical raw materials partnership signed between Brussels and Kyiv in 2021, potentially harming Ukraine’s ambitions to join the EU in the future.

Sybiha also noted that one of the “most famous” law firms will be involved in the analysis of the document, which will work in cooperation with American partners and help Ukraine.

According to the minister, the Ukrainian delegation is expected to travel to the U.S. for further negotiations in the near future. Another round of online talks may take place as early as April 4.

The latest version of the deal reportedly grants the U.S. unprecedented control over Ukraine’s natural resources through a joint investment.

The Trump administration has touted the minerals deal as an essential part of Ukraine’s path to peace but has failed to offer concrete security guarantees in exchange for broad access to resources.

Ukrainian media also reported that the agreement could contradict Ukraine’s efforts to join the EU due to severe restrictions on the country’s economic sovereignty. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would not sign a deal endangering Ukraine’s EU accession.

Kyiv and Washington were set to sign a framework version of the agreement on Feb. 28, but the plan fell apart after a heated Oval Office dispute between Zelensky, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.

‘It’s a trap’ — Trump’s US minerals deal threatens Ukraine’s EU membership

The ongoing saga of the U.S.-Ukraine natural resources deal has already caused seismic ruptures between Kyiv and Washington, temporarily costing Ukraine American military support and crucial intelligence sharing. Yet in the quest to placate U.S. President Donald Trump, and secure his support in the…

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are not scheduled to have a phone conversation in the coming days, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 4, the state news agency TASS reported.

Earlier in the day, Politico had reported that Trump and Putin will hold a call “before or after the weekend.”

“No, there are no plans for the next few days yet. There’s nothing on the schedule yet,” Peskov said.

The denial comes a day after it was reported that Trump’s advisers were insisting a conversation with Putin take place only after Russia agrees to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Moscow has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine, and Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine and the U.S.

Ukraine has agreed to a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to the terms. So far, Moscow has refused.

On April 2,  U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said Ukraine and Russia are already approaching a ceasefire despite prior reports that a ceasefire is unlikely in the coming months.

Every finding is a key: The mission to recover Ukraine’s fallen soldiers (Photos)

Editor’s note: This story contains graphic images. War leaves behind more than ruins and destroyed cities — it carves an invisible mark in the form of the missing and the dead. One of the most painful and challenging aspects of war is the fate of fallen soldiers, whose bodies remain

The Kyiv IndependentViacheslav Ratynskyi

The U.S. is waiting for Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev to report to Russian President Vladimir Putin before taking any next steps in peace talks, Bloomberg reported on April 4, citing a person familiar with the discussions.

Dmitriev met with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington this week. His visit came as Trump threatened to impose secondary oil tariffs on Russia as he grows frustrated with the stalled talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Trump also announced a 10% baseline tariff on nearly all imports into the country on April 2. Russia and Belarus were not included on the list as the White House says that any “meaningful trade” with these countries is non-existent due to existing sanctions.

U.S. officials are growing increasingly frustrated with Moscow’s slowness in negotiations, Bloomberg reported.

What appeared to be a breakthrough last week on a partial truce in the Black Sea quickly evaporated after Russian officials said it was contingent on sanctions relief. This claim contradicted a U.S. statement that outlined the parameters of the agreement.

Dmitriev, who heads the state-controlled Russian Direct Investment Fund, met with U.S. officials in Washington on behalf of Putin on April 2 and 3.

Following his visit, Dmitriev praised the administration under Trump for its constructive and respectful dialogue with Russia and said the two nations plan to restore and deepen their ties, including further economic cooperation.

Dmitriev played a role in backchannel diplomacy between Moscow and Trump when he was first elected in 2016.

The official was then appointed by Putin as his representative for foreign economic relations and was involved in early U.S.-Russian negotiations in Riyadh in February.

How Trump’s tariffs will impact Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2 unleashed what he has dubbed “Liberation Day,” imposing tariffs on nearly every country in the world — including war-torn Ukraine. Kyiv got off lighter than most with only a 10% tariff on all Ukrainian goods, compared to 20% on the E.U., and

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump could seriously hit the U.S. defense industry, complicating international cooperation and increasing the cost of manufacturing military equipment, Politico reported on April 4.

Trump unveiled a sweeping list of “reciprocial tariffs” on April 2, imposing a baseline 10% duty on all countries — including Ukraine — with even higher rates for major trade partners like the EU.

Russia and Belarus were not included on the list.

The tariffs could undermine international defense cooperation by jeopardizing joint military projects, including producing the F-35 fighter jet, air defense systems, and constructing nuclear submarines.

“There’s going to be shortages of supplies, tit-for-tats, and our allies and other partners are going to retaliate,” said Bill Greenwalt, a former Pentagon acquisition official told Politico.

“Some potentially vital supplies are either going to cost a whole heck of a lot more than what they did, or they’re just not going to be available,” he added.

The Pentagon has spent decades building, financing, and developing a global network of suppliers and companies many of which are now facing tariffs.

Without defense exemptions, the administration could negate much of that work, delaying the production of U.S.-made weapons for the country and other buyers.

“We count on the U.S. for the best equipment,” a European official said. “European industrial capacity has greatly improved, and we want to be security providers, not just consumers."

This means investing more in European production to reduce dependence on American spare parts and materials for weapons, the official added.

Senator Mark Kelly, a senior Senate Armed Services member whose state won more than $14.5 billion in U.S. Defense Department contracts last year, highlighted the complexity of defense production and noted that due to the new tariffs, the products of the U.S. military industry may repeatedly be subject to duties during the production process.

“The prices are going to go up, and the prices that DOD (U.S. Defense Department) has to pay are going to go up,” Kelly said. “Our defense budget, if we want to maintain the same type of force, will get more expensive."

Earlier, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said that the Trump administration’s latest tariffs are likely to be “difficult, but not critical” for Ukraine’s economy.

Ukraine’s exports to the U.S. in 2024 amounted to $874 million, including $363 million in cast iron and $112 million in pipes, Svyrydenko said on Facebook. The same year, Ukraine imported $3.4 billion worth of U.S. goods.

How Trump’s tariffs will impact Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2 unleashed what he has dubbed “Liberation Day,” imposing tariffs on nearly every country in the world — including war-torn Ukraine. Kyiv got off lighter than most with only a 10% tariff on all Ukrainian goods, compared to 20% on the E.U., and

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen slammed the U.S. on April 3 for its repeated threats to take over Greenland.

“You cannot annex another country… Not even with an argument about international security,” Frederiksen said on April 3 in response to inflammatory remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump and the White House administration threatening to assume control of Greenland.

“This is not only about Greenland or Denmark… This is about the world order that we have built together across the Atlantic over the generations,” Frederiksen added.

On March 29, Trump said there is a “good possibility” the U.S. could annex Greenland without using military force, but did not rule it out. “We’ll get Greenland. Yeah, 100%," Trump said.

Frederiksen described the U.S. threats to annex Greenland as a shock to the many years of cooperation between Denmark and the U.S.

“When you demand to take over a part of the Kingdom of Denmark’s territory, when we are met by pressure and by threats from our closest ally, what are we to believe in about the country that we have admired for so many years?” Frederiksen said.

On March 29, when asked what the annexation of Greenland would signal to Russia, which has been illegally occupying Ukrainian lands since 2014, Trump said that was not a concern.

“I don’t really think about that. I don’t really care. Greenland’s a very separate subject, very different. It’s international peace. It’s international security and strength,” Trump said.

Greenland is a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The territory is home to a U.S. military base and vast reserves of mineral wealth.

Why I’m leaving Trump’s America — historian Marci Shore

Amid the drama and turmoil created by Donald Trump’s second presidency, three Yale University professors last week announced they would be leaving the U.S. for Canada over concerns about the increasingly authoritarian direction their country is heading in. “I could feel the reign of terror spiralin…

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

U.S. President Donald Trump’s inner circle opposes him making phone calls to Russian President Vladimir Putin, NBC News reported on April 3, citing two unnamed officials.

On March 30, Trump said he is “very angry” at Putin but plans to speak to him in the near future. Trump and Putin held a phone call on March 18 amid peace talks in Saudi Arabia to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Trump’s inner circle opposes a phone call to Putin until the Russian leader commits to a full ceasefire in Ukraine, two unnamed administration officials said.

Despite Trump saying he plans to speak to Putin days earlier, no call between the two leaders has been scheduled, the unnamed officials said.

It is possible Trump will abruptly decide he wants to speak to Putin, but he has been advised against calling the Russian leader until Moscow communicates they agree to a full ceasefire in Ukraine, the two officials said.

Moscow has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine, and Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine and the U.S.

Ukraine has agreed to a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to the terms. So far, Moscow has refused.

On April 2,  U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said Ukraine and Russia are already approaching a ceasefire despite prior reports that a ceasefire is unlikely in the coming months.

How Trump’s tariffs will impact Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2 unleashed what he has dubbed “Liberation Day,” imposing tariffs on nearly every country in the world — including war-torn Ukraine. Kyiv got off lighter than most with only a 10% tariff on all Ukrainian goods, compared to 20% on the E.U., and

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

The United States and Russia have made “significant progress” towards a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev said on April 3 following talks with officials at the White House.

“Significant progress has been made on the ceasefire agreement in Ukraine,” Dmitriev reported, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

Dmitriev, who heads the state-controlled Russian Direct Investment Fund, met with U.S. officials in Washington on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 2 and 3.

Dmitriev praised the administration under U.S. President Donald Trump for its constructive and respectful dialogue with Russia and said the two nations plan to restore and deepen their ties, including with further economic cooperation.

American businesses are prepared to return to Russia and fill the vacancies left after European companies withdrew in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Dmitriev said.

“U.S. companies are ready to occupy the niches left by European companies that left the Russian Federation,” TASS reported.

The two countries are also discussing restoring direct flights.

Dmitriev did not disclose any details related to a potential ceasefire agreement, but said the Trump administration “is listening to the position of the Russian Federation” and will determine the date for the next round of negotiations “in the near future.”

How Trump’s tariffs will impact Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2 unleashed what he has dubbed “Liberation Day,” imposing tariffs on nearly every country in the world — including war-torn Ukraine. Kyiv got off lighter than most with only a 10% tariff on all Ukrainian goods, compared to 20% on the E.U., and

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Key developments on April 3:

• Russia plans to increase grouping in Ukraine by 150,000 troops in 2025, Ukrainian official says
• US defense secretary to skip Ramstein summit for the first time, media reports
• NATO assets may be used for peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, FT reports
• ‘Coalition of the Willing’ agrees at least one European leader should engage with Russia, Stubb says
• Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine secures funding until September 2025, Czech FM says

The Russian military plans to increase its grouping in Ukraine by 150,000 soldiers in 2025, equivalent to around 15 motorized infantry divisions, Presidential Office Deputy Head Pavlo Palisa said on April 3, Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne reported.

“Their formation is ongoing. The Russians have no problems with recruiting personnel now. However, it should be understood that all these formations cannot be put into action at the same time,” Palisa said.

This buildup comes as Russia intensifies its pressure on the front line while engaging in ceasefire consultations. According to Palisa, Moscow is not interested in peace talks except in areas concerning maritime security, where a ceasefire is more relevant to Russian interests.

Ukraine had agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire in U.S.-mediated talks in Jeddah on March 11, but Russia refused unless it included conditions restricting Ukraine’s military capabilities.

Instead, Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. reached a partial ceasefire agreement protecting energy infrastructure and the Black Sea.

Since its implementation, both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of violating the energy truce. Moscow has also linked the start of the Black Sea agreement to Western sanctions relief.

‘Not what Ukraine needs’ — Black Sea ceasefire favors Russia more than Ukraine, say experts

While the White House celebrates a ceasefire in the Black Sea after a 12-hour meeting in Riyadh, in Ukraine, the enthusiasm is muted. The agreement is missing crucial securities that Ukraine urgently needs, including protecting its ports from Russian attacks as well as opening up the blockaded Myko…

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

On the battlefield, Russian forces continue advancing incrementally, attempting to break through specific sections of the front, Palisa said.

He acknowledged some Russian tactical successes but said Ukraine is counterattacking and making its own gains. “If they do this, they will continue to stall (peace talks) to get time,” he added.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 15 that Ukraine’s military consists of 880,000 soldiers, tasked with defending the entire country against 600,000 Russian troops concentrated in different areas.

Ukraine has faced manpower shortages, particularly in infantry units, as Russia ramped up its offensive in Donetsk Oblast in the summer of 2024.

The pace of Russia’s territorial gains has slowed in recent months. According to battlefield monitoring group DeepState, Russian forces captured only 133 square kilometers in March — their lowest monthly total since June 2024.

The slowdown has been attributed to winter conditions, effective Ukrainian drone strikes, and temporary exhaustion of Russian offensive potential.

Despite this, Russian troops continue their assault, particularly around Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, where fighting intensified in late March.

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US defense secretary to skip Ramstein summit for the first time, media reports

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not take part in the Ramstein-format meeting of Ukraine's allies next week, Defense News magazine reported on April 2, citing undisclosed official sources.

This would make the April 11 summit in Brussels, co-chaired by the U.K. and Germany, the first instance when the Pentagon's chief will be absent since the format's founding in 2022.

Hegseth's predecessor, former U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, launched the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) after the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war to coordinate assistance among some 50 of Kyiv's allies.

A U.S. official source told Defense News that Hegseth is not expected to join even virtually and that the Pentagon is unlikely to send any senior representatives to the summit.

Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has begun scaling down U.S. presence in various international pro-Ukraine initiatives as he seeks to broker a ceasefire and a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.

Hegseth attended the previous Ramstein summit on Feb. 12 but not as its chairman, a position held by Austin until then. His British counterpart, John Healey, presided over the summit instead.

At the previous Ramstein summit, Hegseth delivered a jarring speech to Ukraine's partners, calling the country's return to pre-2014 borders and accession to NATO "unrealistic" in a major turn from the Biden administration's rhetoric.

The comments signified the foreign policy pivot brought about by the Trump administration, which has yet to approve a single additional package of military aid to Ukraine.

Thus far, Trump has only allowed the continued flow of assistance approved by his predecessor, briefly pausing it last month to pressure Ukraine to the negotiating table.

The new U.S. leadership has also repeatedly urged Europe to boost its defense spending and increase the share of its assistance to Ukraine.

Putin issued a decree. Now, millions of Ukrainians face an impossible decision

As the U.S. tries to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree that appears to present Ukrainians living in occupied territories with a choice — submit to Russian law by Sept. 10 or face punishment. The decree, published by the Kremlin

The Kyiv IndependentKatie Marie Davies

NATO assets may be used for peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, FT reports

NATO can play a key role in assisting the proposed European military mission to guarantee a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, the Financial Times (FT) reported on April 3, citing unnamed officials.

The proposal for an international peacekeeping force has gained traction recently as European nations prepare to take a more prominent role in Ukraine's defense amid the unpredictability of further American support.

NATO's command and control structures could be used to deploy a so-called "reassurance force" to Ukraine under one proposal being discussed in French-led talks with the U.K., five officials briefed on the plans and told the FT.

Under the proposal, the forces would also use the alliance's joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. According to officials, this proposal is one of many options under discussion and may be subject to change before a final agreement.

Proponents of the initiative also see NATO's involvement in indirectly engaging the U.S. and gaining Washington's support.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump refused to participate in any European-led mission directly, but U.S. military capabilities in Europe are integral to all NATO operations.

"If we are going to deploy assets from dozens of countries (to Ukraine), then NATO is really the only (command and control) option that we can use," said one of the officials.

On March 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed plans to meet in Ukraine this week with military representatives from the "coalition of the willing." Thus far, the coalition has met in other European countries or virtually.

The coalition is a group of countries that have pledged peacekeeping troops and other security guarantees for Ukraine in a potential ceasefire.

The "Coalition of the Willing" has met repeatedly to determine security guarantees and a peacekeeping force for Ukraine. Leaders of 31 nations met in Paris on March 27 at a summit for the coalition.

Several countries, including France and the U.K., which lead the coalition, have pledged to send troops to enforce a potential ceasefire.

The U.S. has been holding separate meetings for ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia, most recently meeting Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on March 25.

As Russian troops retake settlements in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine launches attack on adjacent Russian region

In late March, Ukrainian troops launched a raid into Russia’s Belgorod Oblast. The small-scale incursion into yet another Russian region may be Ukraine’s attempt to alleviate the pressure from the country’s troops still fighting in the adjacent Kursk Oblast, military experts say. Following Russia’…

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

'Coalition of the Willing' agrees at least one European leader should engage with Russia, Stubb says

The "Coalition of the Willing" has agreed that at least one European leader should engage in dialogue with Russia, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on April 3.

Stubb suggested that either France or the United Kingdom, as key coalition leaders, should initiate contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"In our discussion with the 'Coalition of the Willing' in Paris on Thursday (March 27), we recognized the reality that a European leader will have to reach out to Russia at some point," Stubb told reporters in Helsinki.

Currently, European leaders are not engaging in negotiations with Putin. Early in the full-scale war, French President Emmanuel Macron and later German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Putin, but those discussions yielded no results.

European leaders have also been excluded from recent U.S.-led ceasefire talks with Ukraine and Russia, including the latest meeting in Saudi Arabia on March 25.

The coalition, which consists of countries committed to providing security guarantees and potential peacekeeping forces for Ukraine, held a summit in Paris on March 27. France and the U.K., leading the coalition, have pledged to send troops to Ukraine to enforce a potential ceasefire.

Stubb also said on March 31 that Finland must prepare for the eventual restoration of relations with Russia. He told reporters that U.S. President Donald Trump asked him whether Putin could be trusted, to which he replied that he could not.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 1 that Putin was open to normalizing relations with Finland.

Finland, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, joined NATO in 2023 in response to Russia's full-scale invasion. The country shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia and has strengthened its defense ties with Western allies since the war began.

Every finding is a key: The mission to recover Ukraine’s fallen soldiers (Photos)

Editor’s note: This story contains graphic images. War leaves behind more than ruins and destroyed cities — it carves an invisible mark in the form of the missing and the dead. One of the most painful and challenging aspects of war is the fate of fallen soldiers, whose bodies remain

The Kyiv IndependentViacheslav Ratynskyi

Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine secures funding until September 2025, Czech FM says

Czechia's initiative to provide Ukraine with artillery ammunition has secured funding to continue monthly deliveries until September 2025, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on April 3, Ukrainian publication European Pravda reported.

The initiative, backed by contributions from Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other European countries, has significantly boosted Ukraine's artillery capabilities, Lipavsky claimed.

The minister said the effort had reduced the effectiveness of Russian artillery "by 500%" and improved the shell ratio from 1-to-10 in Russia's favor to 1-to-2.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claim.

In 2024, the Czech initiative supplied Ukraine with 1.5 million rounds of ammunition, including 500,000 large-caliber 155mm and 152mm shells. The initiative was launched amid Ukrainian shell shortages, largely caused by delays in U.S. military aid in 2024.

Czechia's opposition party ANO has vowed to suspend the initiative if it wins the parliamentary elections in October 2025, opposition leader Karel Havlicek said in January.

"We're not going to continue the munitions initiative. Not at all," he told the Czech media Respekt.

Prague has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, supplying military aid, leading EU efforts to secure weapons, and hosting tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

Czech President Petr Pavel said on March 22 that the country was also ready to contribute troops to a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.

Note from the author:

Ukraine War Latest is put together by the Kyiv Independent news desk team, who keep you informed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you value our work and want to ensure we have the resources to continue, join the Kyiv Independent community.

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2 unleashed what he has dubbed “Liberation Day,” imposing tariffs on nearly every country in the world — including war-torn Ukraine.

Kyiv got off lighter than most with only a 10% tariff on all Ukrainian goods, compared to 20% on the E.U., and 54% on China.

Nonetheless, it follows a previous round of 25% tariffs in March that thrashed Ukraine’s metallurgy sector — the source of its main exports to the U.S.

Notably, the U.S. did not include Russia on its tariff list as the existing sanctions “preclude any meaningful trade,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.

Ukrainian trade with the U.S. has dropped in recent years, with only $874 million of exports and $3.4 billion of American imports last year. But the knock-on effect could be a global trade war that hits Ukraine too, Oleksandra Myronenko from the Center for Economic Strategy (CES) in Kyiv, told the Kyiv Independent.

Trump claims the tariffs will strengthen the U.S. economy and lower prices for consumers by kickstarting American manufacturing, despite many economists saying the opposite.

He said the U.S. had been exploited for decades by both allies and adversaries, describing the nation as having been “looted, pillaged, raped, and plundered."

Ukraine has so far downplayed the ramifications of the tariffs. Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko called them “difficult, but not critical” for Ukraine’s economy.

The Kyiv Independent spoke with Myronenko to find out how Trump’s latest tariffs will impact Ukraine.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Kyiv Independent: What are the tariffs the U.S. has imposed on Ukraine?

Oleksandra Myronenko: The U.S. imposed a 10% tariff on all Ukrainian goods, excluding goods that were already subject to tariffs, including steel, aluminum, and their products. For those it’s a 25% duty. For all other goods it’s 10%.

The Kyiv Independent: What Ukrainian sectors will be impacted the most by this, and what was Ukraine exporting to the U.S.?

Oleksandra Myronenko: Metals are the main export from Ukraine to the U.S. Exports totaled almost $363 million of pig iron and $113 million of steel pipes in 2024.

Ukraine also exports food and agricultural products. We can expect a slight decline in exports of agricultural products to the U.S., but its impact will not be very critical for Ukraine.

Overall, Ukrainian exports to the U.S. make up only 2% of Ukraine’s total exports.

The Kyiv Independent: How has trade with the U.S. changed from 2021 until now?

Oleksandra Myronenko: There is a slight decline in overall Ukrainian-U.S. trade especially in (Ukrainian) exports. Previously, the U.S. was in the top 10 of Ukrainian export-import partners, but in recent years it's declined.

For 2024, the U.S. ranked fifth for goods imported to Ukraine and sixteenth for goods exported.

The Kyiv Independent: How will these new tariffs impact Ukraine's economy?

Oleksandra Myronenko: The impact of imposing these tariffs on the Ukrainian economy will not be so critical, but our partners will be impacted more.

For countries in which these tariffs are bigger than Ukraine — like China and the European Union — it means their products will become less competitive, not only on the U.S. market, but also on the global market. The sales from these countries that export to the U.S. will drop.

The European Union is already saying it can also impose some tariffs on American goods. This could lead to a trade war and this will make the global economy less effective. Because of that, the Ukrainian economy will also be in decline.

The Kyiv Independent: How is Ukraine preparing for these tariffs?

Oleksandra Myronenko: The Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on Facebook that Ukraine will not respond by imposing tariffs. The Ukrainian government will support Ukrainian businesses that will be affected by these tariffs.

The main problem is that small businesses will be affected the most. The Economy Ministry plans to support them. I think it will provide financial support, maybe some credits or loans, and maybe some financial products.

The Kyiv Independent: How does this affect the trade relations between Ukraine and Europe

Oleksandra Myronenko: We supply iron ore and other metals to the European Union, and it carries out certain processing stages. It then exports these products to the U.S.

Since U.S duties on goods from the European Union are higher than on goods from Ukraine, the exports from the EU to the U.S. will also fall significantly. This can reduce the demand for Ukrainian exports to the European Union.

But I cannot say that our trade with the European Union will decrease. I think it will be more or less on the same level.

Why I’m leaving Trump’s America — historian Marci Shore

Amid the drama and turmoil created by Donald Trump’s second presidency, three Yale University professors last week announced they would be leaving the U.S. for Canada over concerns about the increasingly authoritarian direction their country is heading in. “I could feel the reign of terror spiralin…

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

Amid the drama and turmoil created by Donald Trump’s second presidency, three Yale University professors last week announced they would be leaving the U.S. for Canada over concerns about the increasingly authoritarian direction their country is heading in.

“I could feel the reign of terror spiraling,” one of them, historian Marci Shore, told the Kyiv Independent on April 3, adding: “My impulse was to take my kids and get out of the situation that seemed very dark and very frightening to me."

Shore — along with her husband Timothy Snyder and colleague Jason Stanley — are leaving their posts at Yale University to teach at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.

All three have been vocal pro-Ukraine advocates, particularly throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion, visiting the country multiple times between them and educating audiences in the U.S. with what they’ve learned.

The Kyiv Independent spoke to Shore to find out what made them take such a drastic decision, and if she believes she can continue to advocate for Ukraine, in the U.S., from Canada.

Editor’s note: The interview has been edited for language and clarity.

The Kyiv Independent: Can you explain what made you come to this decision?

Marci Shore: It was a complex family decision. I’ve taught at Yale as a professor of history for almost 20 years now.

It’s been an incredible privilege to teach there. I’ve loved teaching there, but there are also a host of reasons why people might not spend their whole career at one institution. I’ve long been drawn to the University of Toronto and… I’m hoping, if anything, that our voices will be stronger there.

But that said, my impulse was to take my kids and get out of the situation that seemed very dark and very frightening to me.

The Kyiv Independent: Was there one event in particular that made you think “Right, this is it, we have to get out of here?”

Marci Shore: There were so many such events — I could feel the reign of terror spiraling.

There was an extraordinary sermon that Bishop Budde gave at the time of (Trump’s) inauguration, asking the president to have mercy on those who are vulnerable. And immediately afterward there were calls to do violence against this woman, including by a Republican member of Congress who said she should be deported. And you could just feel this purging impulse.

You could feel that we were about to spiral into a reign of terror. But the Oval Office meeting with Zelensky, for me personally, was one of the things that kind of pushed me over the edge. I've rarely been so viscerally angry looking at a screen.

You had Vance and Trump saying “You have to say thank you, you must say thank you, you haven't acknowledged your gratitude.” For me as a historian of totalitarianism, this is what the Stalinist secret police interrogators were saying to the people they were interrogating.

This is what the victims of the show trials were made to say — to thank their executioners as they were being led to their deaths.

This motif of domestic violence — that you must express your gratitude to the party, for you haven't expressed it — it was just repulsive.

And Trump saying “You’re not holding any cards,” and Zelensky saying “We’re not playing cards” — this was the profound moment that exposed that you're dealing with people for whom there are no first principles, you're just looking into this abyss of moral nihilism. Everything is a transaction, everything is a deal. Confronted with a man who actually feels responsible for the lives of millions of people, the humiliation of (Zelensky) was grotesque.

And Lindsey Graham then got on television immediately afterward and said “Donald Trump just gave us a master class in putting America first.” And I tweeted back at him and I said “Donald Trump just gave us a master class in moral nihilism, and Lindsey Graham just gave us a master class in selling one's soul to the devil.”

The Kyiv Independent: How bad do you think that it could potentially get in the U.S.?

Marci Shore: I think it could get very bad — I feel like the subtitle of the present moment could be “Vindication of the neurotic catastrophist.”

One of the things that has affected me most viscerally because I'm a professor are the guys in masks from (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), from wherever they are, coming and taking away foreign students on the street and throwing them in detention centers with no access to anything.

And as a professor what is very real to me are my students.

You come into the classroom, you're advising students. Your job is to protect those students. And if your priority is not to look out for your students, you have no business being in a classroom.

I was just recently back at Yale meeting with some of my advisees, undergraduates, and graduate students who I still work with and I will continue to work with for as long as they want to work with me. I've never abandoned any of my students anywhere. A couple of them are from Ukraine.

Yale is a big university. There's a high percentage of foreign students. And I'm an East Europeanist, so I probably have an even higher than average number of foreign students.

And I'm thinking “Okay, I'm sitting in the dining hall with them. I'm walking past the library. We're sitting in the coffee shop. What would I do if guys in balaclavas came and tried to drag somebody away? Would I try to pull them off? Would I be brave?”

I would like to think that I would be, although I'm a middle-aged woman who's not particularly strong, so I probably wouldn't have much of a chance. Would I try at least to pull the mask off? Would I scream?

Would I videotape something? Would I start crying? Would I get scared and run away?

I want to think I'd be brave, but I don't know, and that not knowing terrifies me.

The Kyiv Independent: Some people have described your announcement as a canary in the coal mine moment. Have you heard other academics or other people expressing the same kind of fears and desires to leave America?

Marci Shore: Yes, definitely. And it works both ways. I in no way feel morally superior to people who have made the courageous decision to stay.

I know a lot of people who would like to leave. I know a lot of people who feel a moral imperative to stay. I know a lot of people who are torn. I feel quite guilty about leaving because I do feel that America is going under.

And because I've been so personally and intimately involved — albeit from a distance and vicariously — with this gruesome war that the Russians are carrying out in Ukraine, I know how the Ukrainians feel about the Russian opposition, and I know how they feel about the people who resisted and lost.

I know how my Russian oppositionist friends felt when confronted with the full-scale invasion three years ago, and saying “Okay we have failed.”

And that failure is somehow unforgivable, and no matter how hard we fought, it wasn't enough. And I understand why Ukrainians are resentful, and I in no way feel morally superior to the Russian oppositionists to have fled.

I don't feel like I'm particularly courageous. I don't feel like I'm willing to go to prison. I don't feel like I would hold up particularly well in prison.

The Kyiv Independent: Are you concerned that by leaving the U.S., Ukraine is losing two voices within the country where they're possibly needed the most right now?

Marci Shore: That has not been my top concern because I don't actually anticipate being less effective from here than I would be there.

The thing that is crushing is feeling like I can no longer have any influence on what is going on in Washington because I'm an enemy of the current regime.

At least with the Democratic administration, I had the feeling that when I went to Washington or when I talked to people there — not that I'm such a terribly important person — but I did potentially have some kind of influence, that there were people in positions there that I could have conversations with who were open to listening to the experiences I had had in Ukraine, and to the experiences my friends and colleagues were having in Ukraine.

I no longer feel that that's true because those people are no longer in power in Washington, and people like myself are enemies of the people in power in Washington.

Putin issued a decree. Now, millions of Ukrainians face an impossible decision

As the U.S. tries to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree that appears to present Ukrainians living in occupied territories with a choice — submit to Russian law by Sept. 10 or face punishment. The decree, published by the Kremlin

The Kyiv IndependentKatie Marie Davies

Russian oil and gas revenue fell by 17% year-on-year in March to 1.08 trillion rubles ($12.8 billion), as forced discounts on crude and a stronger ruble hit budget inflows, the Moscow Times reported on April 3, citing Russia’s Finance Ministry data.

The ministry said the government lost roughly 230 billion rubles ($2.7 billion) in tax income compared to March 2024, with oil and gas revenues accounting for one-third of the total state income.

Energy revenues remain a key source of financing for the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine, despite Western sanctions and a price cap designed to limit Moscow’s earnings from oil exports.

For the second month in a row, Russia’s raw material rents dropped by nearly 20%, and for the first quarter of 2025, total oil and gas tax revenues fell by 10% compared to the same period last year.

The decline follows tougher U.S. sanctions imposed on Jan. 10 by former President Joe Biden, targeting Russian energy firms, oil tankers, and insurers involved in oil logistics.

Due to the move, Russian crude faced difficulties in international markets. China, one of Russia’s largest oil buyers, temporarily halted purchases of Russian ESPO crude as concerns over U.S. restrictions led to logistical and financial complications.

Russian oil traders have since been forced to offer significant discounts to attract buyers, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 11.

U.S. President Donald Trump also warned on March 31 that he could impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil exports unless Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees to “make a deal” to end the war in Ukraine.

Although Trump has occasionally suggested additional punitive measures against Moscow, he has yet to take decisive action, while Russia shows no signs of halting its offensive.

Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine secures funding until September 2025, Czech FM says

The initiative, backed by contributions from Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other European countries, has significantly boosted Ukraine’s artillery capabilities, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

The following is the April 1, 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.

Washington proudly announced on March 25 that it had brokered an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to “eliminate the use of force” in the sea after two days of talks in Saudi Arabia.

Details are still missing from the “ceasefire,” most crucially the start date. Kyiv said it was ready to go, but Moscow demanded that some sanctions be lifted before it moved forward with any ceasefire.

Amid the uncertainty and confusion, the agreement hasn’t changed the security situation for vessels in the Black Sea, Llyod’s List Intelligence, a maritime intelligence company, reported.

Refresher. Before we get into the agreement, here’s a little reminder of why the Black Sea is important.

At the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia blocked Ukraine’s seaports, meaning it couldn’t export goods through its main trade route. The UN and Turkey helped broker the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022 so that Ukraine could at least export agricultural products through the Black Sea, as nearly 50 million people faced a food crisis.

By July 2023, the initiative was falling apart, and Moscow pulled out.

Things looked bad until Ukraine surprisingly carved out its own trade route in September 2023 having pushed Russia’s fleet to the eastern end of the Black Sea. Exports have been pretty smooth since then, nearly reaching pre-war levels.

So what was agreed upon this past week? Russia and Ukraine agreed to the safe passage of ships through the Black Sea (good for everyone), eliminate the use of force (good for Russia’s fleet, which has been depleted by Ukrainian sea drones), and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes.

Here comes the controversial part, which puts Russia as the real winner of the deal. The U.S. said it would help “restore” Russia’s access to the global market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower expensive maritime insurance costs, and increase access to ports “and payment systems for such transactions.”

Yet Ukraine wanted clear security guarantees for its three operational seaports, which are under relentless Russian attacks, and for its Mykolaiv port to be unblocked. The agreement doesn’t guarantee either of those.

“This is definitely not what Ukraine needs,” Serhiy Vovk, director of the Center for Transportation Strategies, a consultancy in Kyiv, told me last week.

What is Russia demanding? Moscow’s main demand is lifting sanctions on the state-owned agricultural bank, Rosselkhozbank, and reconnecting financial institutions involved in agriculture to the Brussels-based SWIFT payment system. It says this will help its food and fertilizer exports, although volumes have actually increased in the last three years.

Russia also wants to get rid of restrictions on European ports that have prevented its vessels from docking and wants sanctions lifted on ships flying the Russian flag.

The Kremlin made the same demands back in July 2023 and says it won’t implement the ceasefire until they are met.

What would be the consequences? So far, the U.S. is mulling over sanctions relief and hasn’t committed to anything yet. Recently, Trump has U-turned and even threatened Russia with secondary oil sanctions for heel-dragging peace negotiations.

But if it does heed Moscow’s demands, then it would help Russia’s sanctioned agri-oligarchs that have profited off the war, including by stealing Ukrainian grain.

Opening up a major state-owned bank would allow oligarchs to move money, get loans, and make potential investments. It could also be used to circumvent sanctions, launder money, and receive oil export revenues.

It will also ramp up tensions between the U.S. and Europe. Since SWIFT is headquartered in Brussels, Washington would have to pressure the EU or SWIFT itself. Chipping away at allies’ unity may be another one of Putin’s strategies, some experts suggest.

There’s also diplomatic side effects if Washington agrees to reward Russia before it has actually committed to anything. While Trump may be looking for a quick win with a partial ceasefire, he would be showing weakness, opening up a crack that Putin could exploit down the line for more sanctions relief, even on individual oligarchs close to his regime.

“The idea of giving up things to Putin before getting what you want is a fool’s errand,” Steven Horrel, non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA, told me.

Read our latest analysis of the agreement here.

Minerals deal: What’s the deal?

Last week, we asked where the minerals deal was after Trump said it could be signed very soon. Well, we have our answer, and it does not look good.

On March 27, Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak wrote on his popular Telegram channel that he had seen a copy of the new agreement and called it “downright horrible.” A copy of the supposed agreement was later published by former Ukraine Reconstruction Agency head Mustafa Nayyem.

It seems the new version is far worse than the previous agreement that Zelensky was supposed to sign in Washington at the end of February before the infamous spat with Trump and Vance.

Ukraine confirmed it had received a new version of the agreement on March 28 and is negotiating amendments because it is not ready yet to sign. Trump again slammed Zelensky, saying he wanted to back out of the deal and that Kyiv wants to tie the agreement to NATO membership. Ukrainian officials later confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that signing the deal is not connected to NATO accession.

Why is it so bad? The previous agreement was a vague memorandum of understanding with details for a ‘Reconstruction Fund’ to be ironed out down the line. This iteration seems to be the document that would govern said “fund” and is a hefty 55-page deal that would give the U.S. unprecedented control over Ukraine’s natural resources and infrastructure through a joint investment.

Again, there are no security guarantees from the U.S., and again, critics are slamming it as economic colonialism.

So what does it propose? The agreement covers more than just natural resources. It gives the U.S. influence over investments in roads and railways, ports, mines, oil and gas, and extraction operations (although not nuclear power plants, as suggested before).

Washington considers its prior aid to be its contribution to the fund, so it doesn’t have to pay anything else. Ukraine would have to pay 50% of earnings from new natural resources and infrastructure projects, including both private and state mining companies, to the fund in dollars.

Additionally, the U.S. gets rights to all profits with 4% interest until its contribution has been repaid. Only then will Kyiv receive earnings from the fund.

The U.S. gets first dibs on all future projects and prohibits the sale of critical minerals to countries deemed “competitors” of the U.S. This doesn’t bode well for the EU, which signed its own memorandum on mineral resources with Kyiv in 2021.

The fund would be registered in the U.S., with the board comprising three Americans and two Ukrainians. The Americans would reserve the right to veto decisions. The fund’s taxes would be paid in the U.S.

“In this entire architecture, Ukraine is a passive party everywhere. Formally, we are a ‘partner,’ but without access to the steering wheel,” Nayyem wrote on Telegram.

Where is it now? Although Trump is ramping up the pressure to sign the deal, Kyiv is still reluctant. Ukraine sees the potential security benefits of American businesses in Ukraine, and wants a deal, just a more favorable one.

“I confirm that we have begun consultations with the United States on the text of the agreement. Ukraine is determined to conclude a document that would meet the interests of both countries,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on April 1.

Ukrainian Railways comes under attack

When an “unprecedented” cyberattack hit the computer networks of Ukrainian Railways, or Ukrzaliznytsia in Ukrainian, on March 23, the company’s staff gave up any idea of getting a good night’s sleep for the foreseeable future, business reporter Yana Prots writes in her latest.

“Everyone is working around the clock. This is no joke,” Anastasia Zolotaryova, Ukrzaliznytsia spokesperson, told the Kyiv Independent on March 26, already spending her fourth day straight at Kyiv’s main train station.

“Our IT workers have slept only two hours in the past day. They step out to rest when they have no strength left and then return to continue restoration efforts,” she added.

What was initially described as a “technical failure” was on March 24 confirmed to be a “large-scale and sophisticated cyberattack” carried out by “the enemy,” according to Ukrzaliznytsia.

Later on April 1, top cybersecurity official Yevheniia Nakonechna said the cyberattack was a terrorist act that employed “tactics, techniques, and procedures typical for Russian intelligence services.”

The company’s website and app crashed, making online ticket purchases impossible and leaving anyone with only digital copies of previously bought tickets in limbo.

For a country at war where commercial aviation is prohibited, disruption on such a vital travel network threatened country-wide chaos.

It took “89 hours of non-stop work” to get the computer systems back online, and even now, the company’s servers are struggling with demand. But if the hackers aim was to cripple Ukraine’s railway network, it fell far short of success — over the past four days, 96% of Ukrainian railway trains still arrived on time.

Read the full story here.

What else is in the news

Ukraine receives $400 million tranche from IMF

Ukraine has received the latest installment of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) budget support amounting to $400 million, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on March 31. The funds represent the latest tranche of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, which will provide Kyiv with $15.6 billion in budget support over four years. With the additional $400 million in funding, the program has now distributed $10.1 billion in financing to Ukraine.

US, Russia begin talks on rare earth minerals projects, Moscow claims

Washington and Moscow have begun discussions on projects related to Russian rare earth minerals, said Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia published on March 31. “Rare earth metals are an important area for cooperation, and, of course, we have begun discussions about various rare earth metals and projects in Russia,” said Dmitriev.

EBRD approves $290 million loan for Ukraine’s gas

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on March 26 approved a loan of 270 million euros ($290 million) for Ukraine’s Naftogaz company to purchase gas for the next two winters, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. Norway is also allocating 140 million euros ($150 million) in grants through the EBRD, the prime minister added. “This resource will help us accumulate gas reserves in underground storage facilities for the next winter,” Shmyhal said.

Ukraine to dissolve gambling regulator, create new agency to oversee industry

The Ukrainian Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL) will be dissolved on April 1, the Digital Transformation Ministry said on March 25. A new state agency, PlayCity, will take its place, aiming to digitize gambling business licensing and strengthen oversight of the industry. The Digital Transformation Ministry said in a statement that CRGL had failed to effectively regulate the industry, prompting the government to launch reforms.

Ukraine has capacity to produce 5 million FPV drones per year, advisor says

Ukrainian manufacturers have the capacity to produce over 5 million first-person-view (FPV) drones per year, presidential advisor Alexander Kamyshin said in an interview with Radio Khartia published on March 28. “Now, one manufacturer can produce 4,000 such FPV drones per day,” said Kamyshin, who previously served as the strategic industries minister. “And that is just one manufacturer. There are more than 150 manufacturers in our country. Our capacity is to produce over 5 million FPV units per year."

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