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New round of US, Ukraine minerals deal talks to begin April 24, official says
A new round of negotiations on the minerals agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine will begin in Washington on April 24, Deputy Economy Minister and Trade Representative Taras Kachka said, Ukrinform reported.
The talks follow the signing of a memorandum on April 17, which outlines plans to establish a long-term economic partnership and a joint reconstruction investment fund.
The agreement has not yet been finalized, with several unresolved legal and technical questions still on the table, according to Kachka.
“We are now working with our and American legal teams and are trying to remove many technical issues to narrow them down to the most sensitive ones that will require a political decision,” he said.
A map showing the location of critical raw materials in Ukraine. (The Kyiv Independent) According to the memorandum, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will visit Washington on April 21 to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and support the final phase of negotiations.
Technical discussions are expected to conclude by April 26, with the goal of signing the agreement shortly afterward. Kachka emphasized that the constructiveness of the discussions will determine whether the timeline holds.
“We are ready to show maximum efficiency, but the entire volume of documents we have is tens of pages long,” he said.
The minister clarified that the deal does not involve converting previously provided U.S. aid into debt. Instead, the fund is designed to generate returns for both sides.
“The United States, as one of the partners, will earn at least as much from the activities of this fund as the aid provided,” Kachka noted, adding that Ukraine would also benefit from future investment flows.
The deal has been a contentious issue in recent months. A scheduled signing on Feb. 28 was derailed by a heated exchange between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump told reporters on April 17 that the agreement could be signed as early as April 24 — a date that appears to conflict with the memorandum’s projected completion timeline.
Earlier this month, Bessent said the minerals deal would signal Washington’s enduring economic commitment to Ukraine and could serve as leverage to encourage Russia to engage in peace negotiations.
Ukraine-US minerals deal to respect EU entry efforts; talks to conclude on April 26, memorandum saysThe Ukrainian government on April 18 published the text of a recently signed memorandum outlining a pending minerals agreement with the United States.
The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy
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Ukraine brings back bodies of over 900 fallen soldiers
Ukraine has repatriated the bodies of 909 soldiers killed in the war with Russia, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs announced on April 18.
These included service members killed in the Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kharkiv sectors of the front, as well as those in Russian morgues.
The repatriation was carried out jointly by the Headquarters, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the military, the Interior Ministry, the ombudsman’s office, and other government agencies.
“We express our gratitude for the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross,” the announcement read.
The Geneva Conventions dictate that people who lost their lives during war are entitled to a dignified burial.
Over 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale war in 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in early February.
‘Not our war’ — US may drop Russia-Ukraine ceasefire efforts unless progress is made, Rubio saysSpeaking after meeting European and Ukrainian officials for ceasefire talks, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump is interested in reaching a deal but has other priorities.
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek
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US reportedly tells European allies it seeks Ukraine ceasefire within weeks
U.S. officials told European counterparts during meetings in Paris on April 17 that they aim to secure a full ceasefire in Ukraine within weeks, Bloomberg reported, citing undisclosed sources.
The effort marks a renewed push by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to end Russia’s three-year full-scale war against Ukraine.
The April 17 meetings included discussions between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and French President Emmanuel Macron. Ukrainian officials were also present.
According to the news outlet, the talks focused on halting hostilities immediately and establishing a framework for lasting peace. Participants reportedly expressed support for Trump’s goal of ending the war swiftly.
U.S. officials said they expect tangible progress soon, while European participants pushed Washington to prepare a harsher response if Moscow fails to engage, including a potential “large-scale” sanctions package Trump has previously signaled he is considering.
The move came more than a month after Ukraine agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire proposal, introduced during earlier negotiations with the U.S. in Jeddah on March 11. Kyiv accepted the full ceasefire deal on the condition that Russia would also halt hostilities and refrain from undermining Ukraine’s defenses.
Moscow refused, demanding a halt to foreign military aid and restrictions on the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Despite repeated expressions of frustration with the war’s continuation — including anger over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hostility toward President Volodymyr Zelensky — Trump has not yet imposed new sanctions or taken direct action to pressure the Kremlin.
During a separate meeting in Washington on April 17 with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Trump reiterated his call to end the war: “We want the death and the killing to stop."
“We’re going to be hearing from (Russia) this week, very shortly, actually, and we’ll see. But we want (Russia’s war against Ukraine) to stop."
Rubio warned on April 18 that the U.S. would abandon efforts to broker a deal if no breakthrough were achieved soon. Speaking after the Paris meetings, he said Trump remains interested in a resolution but has “other priorities” if the Kremlin refuses to engage.
China rejects Zelensky’s claim of arms deliveries to Russia as ‘groundless’Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian rejected the claims at a regular news conference, saying China has never made lethal weapons available to any party in the war.
The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy
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China rejects Zelensky's claim of arms deliveries to Russia as 'groundless'
China’s Foreign Ministry on April 18 dismissed President Volodymyr Zelensky’s accusation that Beijing is supplying weapons to Russia, calling the claim “groundless,” Reuters reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian rejected the claims at a regular news conference, saying China has never made lethal weapons available to any party in the war.
The denial came a day after Zelensky publicly said for the first time that China was supporting Russia’s war effort by delivering arms.
“Today, we have general information from the Security Service (of Ukraine), from intelligence about gunpowder, artillery,” Zelensky said at a briefing in Kyiv on April 17.
The president also noted that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the intelligence agencies had evidence of Chinese involvement in weapons production on Russian territory.
Lin responded that Beijing “opposes groundless accusations and political manipulation” and maintained that China is committed to promoting a ceasefire and encouraging peace talks.
Though Beijing has long denied supplying arms, multiple reports have suggested otherwise. In summer 2024, Zelensky said China had assured Ukraine it would not deliver weapons to Russia.
While officially claiming neutrality, Beijing has deepened economic ties with Moscow, supported Russia against Western sanctions, and emerged as a top supplier of dual-use goods that feed the Russian defense sector.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian forces captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in Donetsk Oblast.
One of the captured soldiers reportedly told Ukrainian troops he had paid 300,000 rubles (roughly $3,500) to a middleman in China to join the Russian army in exchange for citizenship. Zelensky later said that "several hundred" Chinese nationals were fighting on Russia's side.
China has denied any direct involvement in the war and claimed it has urged its citizens to avoid armed conflicts.
US may drop Russia-Ukraine ceasefire efforts unless progress is made, Rubio saysSpeaking after meeting European and Ukrainian officials for ceasefire talks, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump is interested in reaching a deal but has other priorities.
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek
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Ukraine-US minerals deal to respect EU entry efforts; talks to conclude on April 26, memorandum says
The Ukrainian government on April 18 published the text of a recently signed memorandum outlining a pending minerals agreement with the United States.
The memorandum says that the future deal lays the foundation for establishing a joint reconstruction investment fund as part of an economic partnership between the two governments.
According to the document, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will travel to Washington on April 21 to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and facilitate the final phase of negotiations on the terms of an agreement establishing a reconstruction investment fund.
The memorandum says that technical discussions should be completed by April 26, with the goal of signing the agreement shortly thereafter.
The text emphasizes the United States' respect for Ukraine’s EU integration efforts and obligations to international financial institutions, noting that the minerals deal will not conflict with Kyiv’s European path.
The clash between Washington’s earlier demands and a critical raw materials partnership signed between Brussels and Kyiv in 2021 has been one of the key sticking points in the talks.
A map showing the location of critical raw materials in Ukraine. (The Kyiv Independent) The memorandum also acknowledges Ukraine’s past contribution to global security by voluntarily surrendering the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. The document made no mention of potential U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. Kyiv voluntarily gave up these weapons under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in exchange for security assurances from the U.S., U.K., and Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko confirmed on April 17 that the memorandum represents “a step towards a joint Economic Partnership Agreement.”
Svyrydenko said negotiations have made “significant progress,” though further work is required to finalize the text, secure signatures, and ratify the agreement in both parliaments.
The deal has been under discussion for months and became a point of tension between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump, who got into a heated argument in the White House on Feb. 28 when the deal was set to be signed by the two leaders.
Trump told reporters on April 17 that the agreement could be signed as early as April 24, a date conflicting with the timeline outlined in the memorandum.
Bessent said earlier this month that the deal would demonstrate Washington’s commitment to Ukraine as an economic partner and could serve as leverage in pushing Russia toward negotiations to end its war.
US may drop Russia-Ukraine ceasefire efforts unless progress is made, Rubio saysSpeaking after meeting European and Ukrainian officials for ceasefire talks, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump is interested in reaching a deal but has other priorities.
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek
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US may drop Russia-Ukraine ceasefire efforts unless progress is made, Rubio says
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
The U.S. will cease its attempts to negotiate a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia in the following days if there is no signal that an agreement is reachable, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 18, Reuters reported.
Speaking after meeting European and Ukrainian officials in Paris, Rubio said that U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in reaching a deal but has other priorities as well.
Trump began his presidency by pledging to broker a ceasefire within 24 hours, eventually extending this deadline to 100 days.
These efforts have largely stalled, as Russia continues to reject a full 30-day ceasefire backed by Washington and Kyiv, and a partial truce on strikes against energy facilities has failed to hold.
The White House has grown increasingly frustrated, with Trump chastising both Ukraine and Russia for failing to reach a deal. The U.S. president has also repeatedly laid the blame for the war on President Volodymyr Zelensky and former U.S. President Joe Biden, calling Russia’s invasion “Biden’s war."
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Russia calls Ukraine ceasefire 'unrealistic' despite Trump's peace efforts
A full ceasefire in Ukraine is “unrealistic,” Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said during an April 17 briefing, challenging diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting.
The statement came more than a month after Ukraine agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire proposal, introduced during earlier negotiations with the U.S. in Jeddah on March 11.
“We had an attempt at a limited ceasefire on energy infrastructure facilities, which was not observed by the Ukrainian side,” Nebenzya claimed, referring to a partial deal reached during U.S.-mediated talks in Riyadh on March 25.
“Under the current circumstances, it is simply unrealistic to talk about a (full) ceasefire at this stage."
After meeting with U.S. delegates on March 11, Kyiv accepted the full ceasefire deal on the condition that Russia would also halt hostilities and refrain from undermining Ukraine’s defenses. Moscow refused, demanding a halt to foreign military aid and restrictions on the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Russia’s rejection of the full truce has coincided with strikes on Ukrainian power infrastructure. According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi, Moscow has violated the energy ceasefire more than 30 times since its announcement.
The Kremlin denies the accusations. Its spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, claimed Russia continues to honor the agreement but “reserves the right” to abandon it if Ukraine fails to comply.
Russia claims that it has been upholding a 30-day moratorium on strikes against energy facilities since a verbal agreement in a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump on March 18.
This period lapsed on April 17, and Peskov said no decision has been made yet on the next steps. Kyiv has dismissed the March 18 truce announcement as a Kremlin propaganda stunt without any substance, saying Russian forces have continued attacking Ukrainian energy facilities since then.
In turn, Russia accused Ukraine of targeting the Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Oblast and other energy facilities — accusations that Kyiv has rejected — as Moscow seeks justifications to continue its attacks on Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky directed Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on March 28 to submit evidence of Russian violations to U.S. officials. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed Moscow had sent a list of ceasefire breaches to the U.S., the U.N., and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
With U.S.-led diplomatic talks stalled, Russia continues to insist on maximalist demands, showing little readiness for a genuine peace agreement. Ukraine maintains it remains committed to a complete ceasefire if Russia agrees to reciprocate.
US presents ‘outlines of a durable, lasting peace’ to Ukraine, Russia, Europe″(U.S.) President (Donald) Trump and the United States want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace,” U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
The Kyiv IndependentVolodymyr Ivanyshyn
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US, Ukraine sign memorandum on minerals deal, Deputy PM says
The U.S. and Ukraine have signed a memorandum of understanding on a minerals deal that is yet to be finalized, Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on April 17.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have made “significant progress” in talks on a minerals deal, which will be concluded in the “near future,” Svyrydenko said a day earlier on April 16. Delegations from the two sides met in Washington on April 11 and 12 to work out details of the long-debated deal.
“Today, we took a step towards a joint Economic Partnership Agreement with the United States. Ukraine and the United States of America signed a memorandum, which demonstrates the constructive joint efforts of our teams and the intention to finalize and conclude an agreement that will be beneficial to both our peoples,” Svyrydenko said.
Svyrydenko noted that work needs to be done to finalize the text of the minerals agreement, followed by the signing of the agreement, adding that, afterwards, the agreement needs to be ratified by the parliaments of both countries.
“We are preparing the creation of the Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. The corresponding agreement will open up opportunities for significant investments, infrastructure modernization, and a mutually beneficial partnership between Ukraine and the United States — this is precisely the goal for which the teams are working on the document,” Svyrydenko said.
The agreement has been in the works for several months and has been a point of contention between Ukraine and the U.S. President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump got into a heated argument in the White House on Feb. 28 when the deal was set to be signed by the two leaders.
“It is important that we reaffirm through our agreements the desire of the American people to invest together with the Ukrainian people in a free, sovereign, and secure Ukraine,” Svyrydenko said.
Trump told reporters on April 17 that Ukraine and the U.S. could sign a minerals deal on April 24.
“We have a minerals deal, which I guess is going to be signed on Thursday, next Thursday,” Trump said during a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the White House.
Trump wants to use the deal as a signal that the U.S. stands with Ukraine as an economic partner, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview released on April 4, adding that it would incentivize Russia to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine.
“The sequencing has been thrown off, but I think we can fix it,” Bessent said, referring to the steps the U.S. plans to take in establishing a peace plan.
Ukraine war latest: China provides weapons to Russia, Zelensky saysKey developments on April 17: * China provides weapons to Russia, Zelensky says * Ukraine repels Russian offensive near Pokrovsk, killing 200 Russian soldiers, Zelensky says * Ukrainian forces liberate 16 square kilometers near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, Syrskyi says * Ukrainian drones attack…
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk
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US presents 'outlines of a durable, lasting peace' to Ukraine, Russia, Europe
The U.S. has provided Ukraine, Russia, and Europe with “outlines of a durable and lasting peace,” U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on April 17.
The U.S. and Ukraine have signed a memorandum of understanding on a minerals deal that is yet to be finalized, Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on April 17. White House officials have previously underscored the importance of the deal for progressing with peace talks.
"(U.S.) President (Donald) Trump and the United States want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace," Bruce said.
The U.S. has communicated the proposal in Paris with Ukrainian and European officials. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio communicated the same to Russia over a phone call.
“Rubio spoke today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The Secretary conveyed to his Russian counterpart the same message the U.S. team communicated to the Ukrainian delegation and our European allies in Paris,” Bruce said.
The spokesperson said the proposal was welcomed in Paris.
“The encouraging reception in Paris to the U.S. framework shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement,” Bruce said.
The U.S. has led separate talks with Ukraine and Russia in Saudi Arabia to reach a ceasefire. On April 6, Zelensky said Russia is rejecting an unconditional ceasefire because it wants to continue launching missile strikes from the Black Sea.
Moscow has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine. Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine and the U.S.
Ukraine has already 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.
‘Territories are first and foremost people:’ Zaporizhzhia, Kherson residents anxiously watch Witkoff debate the land they live onZaporizhzhia — During what would usually be evening rush hour in Zaporizhzhia, cars move easily through main streets that were once choked with traffic. As the shadows grow longer, soldiers calmly remove camouflage netting from the air defense weapons they’ll man against Russia’s deadly attacks unti…
The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta
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Meloni, Trump meet in Washington, discuss Ukraine ceasefire, US tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met in Washington on April 17 to discuss a “just and lasting peace” for Ukraine and U.S. tariffs imposed on the EU.
“We have been defending the freedom of Ukraine together,” Meloni told reporters in the Oval Office with Trump.
“We’re going to be hearing from (Russia) this week, very shortly, actually, and we’ll see. But we want (Russia’s war) to stop. We want the death and the killing to stop,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are meeting in Paris on April 17 to discuss Ukraine. The U.S. has largely shut Europe out of Ukraine peace talks, raising alarm among European officials.
Meloni called for the U.S. and Europe to work together and stop Russia’s war against Ukraine to establish a “just and lasting” peace.
Trump said he’s not a “big fan” of President Volodymyr Zelensky. The two leaders got into a heated argument in the White House on Feb. 28.
“I’m not blaming him, but what I am saying is that I wouldn’t say he’s done the greatest job… I am not a big fan,” Trump added.
Trump reiterated previous claims that Russia’s war against Ukraine would not be happening if he were in power.
“I don’t hold Zelensky responsible (for Russia’s war), but I’m not exactly thrilled with the fact that that war started. That was a war that would have never started if I were president,” Trump claimed.
Meloni called for the West to cooperate, receiving agreement from Trump.
“The goal for me is to make the West great again, and I think together we can do that,” Meloni said, with Trump adding, “We can."
Meloni has invited Trump to visit Italy amid the 20% tariffs Trump has imposed on the EU, including Italy.
“I cannot lock this deal in the name of the European Union… My goal would be to invite President Trump to pay an official visit to Italy and understand if there’s a possibility when it comes to organize also such a meeting with Europe,” Meloni said.
‘Territories are first and foremost people:’ Zaporizhzhia, Kherson residents anxiously watch Witkoff debate the land they live onZaporizhzhia — During what would usually be evening rush hour in Zaporizhzhia, cars move easily through main streets that were once choked with traffic. As the shadows grow longer, soldiers calmly remove camouflage netting from the air defense weapons they’ll man against Russia’s deadly attacks unti…
The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta
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China Betrayed by Russia? Trump Targets Beijing & EU’s Sanctions Storm!
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‘This is a murder’ – Zelensky rebukes Trump for calling deadly Sumy strike a mistake
President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted on April 17 to U.S. President Donald Trump’s characterization of a deadly Russian missile strike on Sumy as a “mistake,” pointing to the deliberate nature of the strike that killed at least 35 civilians.
Zelensky made the comment after being asked about Trump’s remarks during a press conference in Kyiv.
“Excuse me, but this is a murder. This strike went to the (city) center, it did not go to the front line,” he said. “We cannot find excuses when you hit the city center with missiles, not (with) just one (missile), and if it’s not just one (missile), it’s not a mistake.”
Russia launched two ballistic missiles at Sumy on the morning of Palm Sunday on April 13, killing at least 35 people, including two children, and injuring at least 117 others. The strike, which hit civilian infrastructure in the city center, was one of the deadliest in recent months. Trump called the missile strike on Sumy “terrible,” but suggested it was a “mistake.”
Zelensky also reacted to the comments made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who publicly condemned the strike. “There was a reaction from Secretary of State Rubio, and his reaction was clear. He condemned it, and we are grateful for this reaction,” Zelensky said.
“More serious condemnation came from many of our other partners who spoke clearly about who the Russians are after such actions.”
Zelensky also noted what he described as a “softer” tone from the U.S. administration and broader political establishment toward Russia. “I believe this softer reaction reflects a continuation of the current U.S. policy. They seem to think that this kind of diplomacy will help end the war,” he said. “That’s how I interpret it.”
The U.S. informed fellow G7 members that it would not support a joint statement condemning Russia’s missile strike on Sumy, Bloomberg reported on April 15, citing unnamed sources.
The Trump administration had also earlier blocked a proposed G7 statement marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion and vetoed a plan to establish a task force to monitor Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers. In addition, Washington declined to back resolutions condemning Russian aggression at the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.
While Trump has pledged to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, his peace effort has stalled as Moscow continues to reject the proposed 30-day complete truce supported by both the U.S. and Ukraine. So far, Trump has not increased pressure on Moscow.
‘Territories are first and foremost people:’ Zaporizhzhia, Kherson residents anxiously watch Witkoff debate the land they live onZaporizhzhia — During what would usually be evening rush hour in Zaporizhzhia, cars move easily through main streets that were once choked with traffic. As the shadows grow longer, soldiers calmly remove camouflage netting from the air defense weapons they’ll man against Russia’s deadly attacks unti…
The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta
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Ukraine, US may sign minerals deal on April 24, Trump says
Ukraine and the U.S. may sign a minerals deal on April 24, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on April 17.
“We have a minerals deal, which I guess is going to be signed on Thursday, next Thursday,” Trump said during a press conference with Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the White House.
“And I assume they’re going to live up to the deal,” he added.
Trump’s statement came nearly an hour after President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian and American sides were holding talks on the deal and a related memorandum could be signed online on April 17.
Earlier this week, U.S. and Ukrainian delegates held consultations on the deal in Washington. The sides have made “significant progress," Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said.
A map showing the location of critical raw materials in Ukraine. (The Kyiv Independent) “We have now agreed with the U.S. side to affirm this positive development by a relevant memorandum of intent — we are preparing a formal conclusion of the deal in the near future,” she said.
According to earlier reporting, the U.S. proposal would grant extensive control to a joint investment fund managed by Washington, with no offer of security guarantees in return. The Trump administration has framed the deal as a way to recoup the billions of dollars in military and financial aid provided to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Bloomberg reported earlier on April 16 that the U.S. has softened its “maximalist” demands, lowering the payback it seeks for the provided aid from $300 billion to $100 billion. While the latter sum is closer to Kyiv’s estimates of the supplied assistance, Zelensky has stressed that Ukraine does not see the aid sent by the Biden administration as debt.
The original framework agreement was expected to be signed during Zelensky’s visit to Washington on Feb. 28, but the plan fell apart following a heated Oval Office dispute with Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance. Zelensky left without finalizing the deal.
Ukraine has since hired the American-British law firm Hogan Lovells to advise on the negotiations.
Trump’s Ukraine peace push is really about business — and Putin knows itThe American and Russian delegations that just met in Istanbul had made it clear that they were there to discuss the normalization of their diplomatic missions’ work, not the war in Ukraine. But such engagement is a clear corollary to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to negotiate an
The Kyiv IndependentNina L. Khrushcheva
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‘Territories are first and foremost people:’ Zaporizhzhia, Kherson residents anxiously watch Witkoff debate the land they stand on
Zaporizhzhia — During what would usually be evening rush hour in Zaporizhzhia, cars move easily through main streets that were once choked with traffic. As the shadows grow longer, soldiers calmly remove camouflage netting from the air defense weapons they’ll man against Russia’s deadly attacks until the sun rises the next morning.
Though the region’s capital city is less crowded than it once was, the sidewalks are still active with residents who have no plans to leave. Young couples push strollers alongside the river, while a nearby skatepark is full of teenagers practicing tricks. An upscale restaurant downtown had no free tables on the weekend, and soldiers poured out of a barber shop with fresh haircuts on their way to nearby shops.
In recent days, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has reportedly proposed to U.S. President Donald Trump giving Russia unoccupied Ukrainian territory that Ukraine has full control of as the fastest way to secure a peace deal. President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected this idea as an unacceptable “red line.”
Zaporizhzhia is the largest city in the Ukrainian-held territory that Witkoff has alluded to. The city has not released updated population figures since the full-scale invasion, but before 2022, it was Ukraine’s seventh-largest city, home to 710,000 residents. In the past year, Russia has stepped up its use of aerial glide bombs on the city, which have caused the vast majority of recent casualties there.
The other major administrative capital reportedly debated by Witkoff is Kherson, which was captured by Russia in 2022 and liberated after eight and a half months. Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Kherson Oblast, said in a January interview with Ukrinform that the city’s population has dropped to an estimated 66,000, a quarter of its pre-war population. Its residents are terrorized daily by Russian drone and artillery attacks.
Today, the hundreds of thousands of inhabitants living in the Ukrainian-controlled territory of these two oblasts anxiously watch the news and listen to foreign officials debate handing over the land they stand on.
“We hope that they (foreigners) will hear us, the people who live here, and hear that we want to remain Ukraine.”
The Kyiv Independent spoke with a dozen residents of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, all of whom said they could not accept the idea of ceding to Russia the cities and towns they lived in.
“Every day, we read the news, watch all the live broadcasts from America, from the White House, everything that happens,” said Artur, who was born and raised in Zaporizhzhia. He declined to share his last name, citing privacy concerns for his family while walking downtown with his wife, Ina, and four-year-old son on a Sunday afternoon.
“I think this is the number one topic now,” he said. “We hope that they (foreigners) will hear us, the people who live here, and hear that we want to remain Ukraine.”
‘This peace deal is about these so-called five territories’Moscow illegally annexed four partially occupied territories — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts — in September 2022 through sham referenda, enshrining its possession over them in its constitution, a move that holds no weight internationally. Though it has failed to fully capture the territories, Russia continues to demand that Ukraine completely withdraw its troops from them. Moscow illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.
“This peace deal is about these so-called five territories,” Witkoff said in comments to Fox News on April 14. While he did not name the territories, they are widely understood to refer to the four partially occupied oblasts and Crimea.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 11, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg are urging President Donald Trump to resist territorial concessions to Moscow, suggesting Witkoff’s views on these territories are not shared throughout the entire administration.
Witkoff, who has alarmed Ukrainian officials with his friendly stance toward Russia, has parroted Russian propaganda lines about the oblasts.
In March, he said, “They are Russian-speaking, there have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule.” Witkoff was widely denounced in Ukraine and by the EU for failing to note that the referendums were held effectively at gunpoint under occupation, with widespread voter intimidation and soldiers going door to door with ballot boxes.
Several residents of the territories who spoke with the Kyiv Independent acknowledged a few stumbles when articulating their feelings in Ukrainian. They grew up speaking Russian but were now working on improving their Ukrainian because of the war, they explained.
Residents cast their votes in a sham 'referendum' in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Sept. 23, 2022. (Stringer / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Many Ukrainians speak Russian as a consequence of centuries of Russian efforts to suppress Ukrainian culture, though the number has shrunk as more switch to Ukrainian after Russia’s initial invasion in 2014 and its full-scale invasion three years ago.
“Earlier we spoke Russian, but now, of course, I want to speak Ukrainian more because of what happened. They turned us into enemies,” Zaporizhzhia native Viktoria Haiduk told the Kyiv Independent while waiting at a bus stop with her two daughters under a grey sky in Matviivka, a village 15 kilometers (9 miles) northeast of the capital city and about 40 kilometers (23 miles) from the front line.
‘They killed so many Ukrainians’Vita Hushchenko, a 48-year-old internally displaced resident of Zaporizhzhia’s capital city, had tears in her eyes when she recalled Huliaipole, her native hometown. “It was a very beautiful city. I always think about it,” she said. “We left everything there. Now everything in Huliaipole is destroyed. Such is life. It’s incomprehensible.”
Today, Huliaipole is located less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the front line and some 90 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of the regional center, Zaporizhzhia. The front-line community has been subjected to constant attacks from Russian positions over the course of the full-scale invasion, including artillery shelling and glide bombs.
Huschenko was blunt in her assessment: “I don’t want to live under the orcs,” she said, using a pejorative slang term for Russian soldiers.
Anton, a 47-year-old metalworker in Zaporizhzhia, said he believed Ukraine would never agree to cede the city. He asked the Kyiv Independent to withhold his last name, noting that he sometimes communicated with acquaintances in occupied areas of the region.
“Zaporizhzhia is a very large center,” he explained. “There is the university, many railway routes to Dnipro and elsewhere, bridges, industries, and electricity. If they hand over Zaporizhzhia, then that's it, Ukraine is already almost gone.”
Only 8% of Ukrainians would be willing to fully withdraw Ukrainian troops from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions to end the war. Even fewer would be willing to recognize those regions as Russian, according to a poll published on March 20 by the Razumkov Center, a Kyiv-based public policy think tank.
The figure rises by two percentage points for regions in the east and by six in the south — a far cry from the “overwhelming majority” cited by Witkoff.
In February, the Institute for the Study of War assessed that Russia was unlikely to be able to capture the whole territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the short term, “if at all.”
“As long as Russia has the financial or military ability, they will fight to their very last ruble.”
If they gained control, “Russian authorities would likely employ the same tactics of oppression, displacement, and forcible assimilation against Ukrainian civilians living in these areas as they have employed against the millions of Ukrainians who have been living under Russian occupation for over three years,” ISW wrote.
Rescue workers remove rubble of a bombed residential building in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Nov. 8, 2024. (Anastasia Potapenko / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images) Anton sees Russia’s maximalist demands as a delay tactic to keep the war going: “Russia doesn’t want to negotiate,” he said. “As long as Russia has the financial or military ability, they will fight to their very last ruble.”
Though he was born and raised in Zaporizhzhia, he doesn’t feel he could ever live in the region if it were captured or handed over to Russia.
“If, God forbid, Russia comes here, then I don’t want to live with them here. They killed so many Ukrainians,” he said. “I don’t know if I can get used to another oblast, but I definitely wouldn’t want to live here. Definitely not with them.”
‘I wake up in a cold sweat’For residents of Kherson, the concept of Russian control isn’t theoretical. The city remained under Russian occupation for 256 days from February to November 2022, before it was liberated during the Kherson counteroffensive.
Dementiy Bilyi, a 56-year-old political scientist and local historian living in Kherson, was put on a blacklist by Russian occupation authorities because of his pro-Ukrainian activities and political writing. He was forced to remain in hiding while living in the city to avoid filtration and potential interrogation, torture, or abduction.
A man removes a Russian occupation banner in newly liberated Kherson, Ukraine, on Nov. 14, 2022. (Bulent Kilic / AFP via Getty Images) 
Local residents hug a Ukrainian soldier as they celebrate the liberation of Kherson, Ukraine, on Nov. 13, 2022. (Bulent Kilic / AFP via Getty Images) Since then, Bilyi has recurring nightmares that Kherson is surrendered to Russia. “This is one of my worst nightmares. I wake up in a cold sweat,” he told the Kyiv Independent by phone from his home in Kherson. “But I know that Kherson will not be voluntarily relinquished.”
“There was no referendum; it was just a propaganda show held in certain places under the control of Russian armed soldiers.”
Bilyi said he witnessed Russian soldiers gather small crowds for the referendum, then record fake results. “There was no referendum; it was just a propaganda show held in certain places under the control of Russian armed soldiers,” Bilyi told the Kyiv Independent.
“I was personally distraught by Steve Witkoff's statements that we allegedly had referendums and that people voted to join Russia. This is just slander. This lie is simply outrageous,” he added.
It has been hard watching the new U.S. administration led by Donald Trump discuss Ukraine, Bilyi said, noting that watching Trump berate Zelensky in the Oval Office was “one of the most challenging moments” of his life and the war.
‘We know what it is like to be hunted down’Today, drone attacks continue nearly around the clock in Kherson, and artillery shelling hammers civilian buildings throughout the day. Residents describe moving throughout the city as being like playing the lottery since there is no way to predict attacks. Schools and preschools are held online. With danger too high for many repair crews, parts of the city have no electricity, water, or gas supplies.
Kherson remains right on the edge of Russian-occupied territory, with Russian troops carrying out relentless attacks from where they hold the other bank of the Dnipro River less than a kilometer (0.6 miles) away.
Natalia Shatilova-Pohasiy, a volunteer and acting head of the Dnipro District Organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society in Kherson, has stayed because her father and low-mobility mother live nearby, as well as to help others who are low-mobility, disabled, or elderly.
“This is a red zone for many foundations, and security policies do not allow their volunteers to enter Kherson, but someone needs to stay here,” she said.
While Kherson was occupied, she was interrogated by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), but says she was “lucky enough not to be injured or mutilated.”
“Many of my colleagues have indeed gone missing and have been left with injuries. Their lives have changed a lot, physically and mentally. We know what it is like to be hunted down, to be followed at night, to be searched and harassed.”
"And now, their lives are again under threat due to Russian terror."
“So definitely no, we will not stay here (if Russia comes again),” she added.
Today, shops, hairdressers, post offices, and coffee shops remain open in Kherson. Residents continue to plant flowers and trees — a gesture of hope for the future.
Pedestrians cross a street during a break in drone attacks due to weather in Kherson, Ukraine, on Oct. 12, 2024. (Alice Martins / For The Washington Post via Getty Images) “I want to note that Zaporizhia and Kherson are not occupied, and many people who left the occupied territories live in these cities. They lost their homes and are trying to build their lives anew. And now, their lives are again under threat due to Russian terror,” said Olena Hubanova, co-chair of the charity “Helping to Leave,” which works to evacuate and reintegrate Ukrainians displaced by the war.
Hubanova herself was displaced and has been living in Zaporizhzhia for a decade, after her home in Luhansk Oblast was occupied.
“I want every person in power, when talking about territories, to realize that territories are, first and foremost, people,” she said.
Note from the author:
Hi, my name is Andrea Januta. I reported this story with my colleague Yuliia Taradiuk and traveled to Zaporizhzhia to meet with residents. While politicians debate Ukrainian territory in abstract terms, we feel it’s crucial to remember that the stakes are not lines on a map, but Ukrainians living on this land. As a Ukrainian paper, we aim to elevate their voices.
If you believe in the importance of this work, please consider supporting our work by becoming a member of the Kyiv Independent.
Our readers’ questions about the war, answered. Vol. 8Editor’s note: We asked members of the Kyiv Independent community to share the questions they have about the war. Here’s what they asked and how we answered. Join our community to ask a question in the next round. Question: Is Ukraine formulating a plan to receive and house refugees from
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent
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Witkoff spreads Kremlin narratives, has no mandate to discuss Ukrainian territory, Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff of spreading Russian propaganda and overstepping his authority by discussing Ukrainian territory in back-channel peace talks with Moscow.
Speaking during a press briefing in Kyiv on April 17, Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine would not negotiate away its territory and dismissed Witkoff’s recent statements following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I believe Mr. Witkoff has adopted the strategy of the Russian side,” Zelensky said. “Consciously or not, he is spreading Russian narratives. Either way, it does not help. And I do not see any mandate for him to speak about Ukrainian territories. These lands belong to our people, to our nation, and to the future generations of Ukrainians.”
On April 14, Witkoff told Fox News that his April 11 meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg was “compelling” and suggested that a potential peace deal could center on the status of five territories. While he did not name them explicitly, he is believed to be referring to Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, along with the partially occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
“As I said, we are discussing an unconditional ceasefire – and until that happens, we are not discussing territories,” Zelensky said. “You know my position and our red lines: we will not recognize any of our temporarily occupied territories as Russian.”
The Ukrainian leader warned that Russia remains uninterested in peace and continues preparing for new military offensives.
“Russia wants to gain as many square kilometers as possible to strengthen its position in final negotiations,” he said. “We will see this in waves of attacks – in offensive assaults, in missile strikes. They are heating up the situation.”
Zelensky urged U.S. leadership to apply more pressure on Moscow, saying that “(U.S. President Donald) Trump needs to ramp up sanctions. “The tougher the sanctions, the closer we are to a ceasefire.”
Witkoff, officially the U.S. envoy to the Middle East, was tasked by Trump to negotiate a peace in Ukraine. Since then, he has drawn criticism from both U.S. and Ukrainian officials for promoting Kremlin-aligned proposals, including recognizing Russian control over Ukrainian land as a path to ending the war.
The Wall Street Journal reported that senior officials within the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, have urged Trump to reject such concessions.
On April 11, Reuters reported that Witkoff told the U.S. president that granting Russia de facto control of the four partially occupied regions would be the fastest way to secure a ceasefire, a claim that mirrors Russia’s long-standing demands.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued to violate the partial ceasefire agreed on March 25, which was intended to cover energy infrastructure and Black Sea targets. A full 30-day ceasefire, proposed by Trump and backed by Kyiv, remains rejected by Moscow.
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Russian ruble becomes top-performing currency amid Trump trade war, peace hopes
The Russian ruble has posted the world’s strongest gains against the U.S. dollar in 2025, surpassing traditional safe-haven assets like gold, Bloomberg reported on April 15.
According to Bloomberg’s calculations, the ruble has appreciated by 38% against the dollar in the over-the-counter market since the start of the year, outpacing gold’s 23% rise.
The surge comes amid a combination of domestic policy measures, a weakening dollar driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s new trade war, and renewed speculation about a potential peace deal in Ukraine.
Analysts point to a February phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump as the moment when markets began factoring in the possibility of de-escalation.
The ruble has also been buoyed by Russia’s sky-high key interest rate, which currently stands at 21%. The tight monetary policy has curbed domestic demand and slashed import volumes, which fell 10% year-on-year in February.
The currency’s strength presents risks to Russia’s war-fueled budget. With government spending heavily inflated by military expenditures in early 2025, the ruble’s appreciation undermines revenues from oil exports — the Kremlin’s primary source of hard currency.
Oil revenues, already weakened by plummeting global prices, now yield fewer rubles due to the ruble’s strong exchange rate. The Russian federal budget was calculated with an average rate of 96.5 rubles per dollar, 14% below current levels.
While the ruble’s rise reflects short-term gains, its long-term sustainability depends on volatile external factors — including the outcome of negotiations over war in Ukraine and Trump’s increasingly confrontational global trade policy.
On April 9, Trump reduced tariffs to 10% for 90 days for 75 of the 211 countries against which they were previously imposed. Markets reacted with a sharp rise in stock indices and oil prices.
Top Ukrainian officials arrive in Paris for talks with European, US officialsPresidential Office head Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov arrived in Paris on April 17 to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and meet visiting U.S. officials.
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek
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Trump's DC attorney pick made over 150 appearances on Kremlin propaganda outlets
U.S. President Donald Trump’s candidate for the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, appeared more than 150 times on Russian state-run propaganda outlets RT and Sputnik between 2016 and 2024, the Washington Post reported on April 16.
Martin frequently offered views on RT and Sputnik that aligned with Kremlin narratives, including echoing Moscow’s grievances about NATO and the war against Ukraine. His media presence included appearances as recently as 2024.
In early 2022, nine days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Martin told RT’s global network there was “no evidence” of a troop buildup on Ukraine’s border and accused U.S. officials of ignoring Russia’s security concerns.
Just hours before the U.S. launched missile strikes on Syria in April 2017 in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed 90 civilians, Martin told RT America that Russian-backed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad may not be responsible.
Martin’s selection to lead the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office — the country’s largest federal prosecutor’s office — has alarmed former national security officials. They noted the position holds broad authority over high-profile cases, including those involving espionage, public corruption, and domestic extremism.
Martin currently serves as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia ad interim.
A spokesperson for Martin’s office, Neil McCabe, defended the nomination.
“President Trump made a brilliant choice in selecting Ed Martin to serve a full, permanent term as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia,” McCabe told the Washington Post.
Martin’s frequent use of Kremlin-linked platforms drew condemnation from national security experts who say such appearances help legitimize and amplify Russian propaganda aimed at undermining the U.S. and its allies.
The revelations come as Trump’s administration pushes a rapprochement with Moscow.
While Trump continues to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine, the Kremlin has ramped up deadly attacks, including a ballistic missile strike on Sumy on Palm Sunday on April 13 that killed 35 civilians.
Putin praises Musk as visionary, likens him to Soviet-era space icon Korolov“You know, there is such a person, he lives in the States, (Elon) Musk, who, you could say, raves about Mars,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy
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Top Ukrainian officials arrive in Paris for talks with European, US officials
Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov arrived in Paris on April 17 to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and meet visiting U.S. officials.
“As part of the visit, a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings are planned with representatives of countries from the coalition of the willing and able to guarantee security — including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom,” Yermak said on X.
The British- and French-led coalition of the willing, involving some 30 countries, was launched in March to provide security guarantees for Ukraine in case of a ceasefire. Six members of the coalition are reportedly ready to deploy their troops on the ground to monitor the truce.
“Meetings are also scheduled with representatives of the United States currently present in France,” Yermak said.
France is hosting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who arrived in the country to “advance President (Donald) Trump’s goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war,” the U.S. State Department said.
Kyiv and its European partners have been working to secure stronger security commitments from the U.S. to help deter any future Russian aggression. As Washington ruled out contributing its troops to the planned “reassurance force” in Ukraine, London seeks to sway Trump toward providing at least intelligence or airpower support — so far without success.
Instead, Trump is trying to hash out a ceasefire deal between Kyiv and Moscow, using a strategy seen by critics as favorable to Russian positions.
The U.S. president has temporarily paused military and intelligence aid for Ukraine to pressure it to the negotiating table, while his threats to impose additional tariffs and sanctions against Russia have yet to materialize.
Trump’s efforts to broker a ceasefire have nevertheless stalled, as Russia continues to reject a full 30-day truce, and has violated a partial ceasefire on strikes against energy infrastructure.
This has reportedly led to a split within Trump’s team, with some officials, like Rubio, urging a tougher stance toward the Kremlin, while Witkoff continues to push for a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s Ukraine peace push is really about business — and Putin knows itThe American and Russian delegations that just met in Istanbul had made it clear that they were there to discuss the normalization of their diplomatic missions’ work, not the war in Ukraine. But such engagement is a clear corollary to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to negotiate an
The Kyiv IndependentNina L. Khrushcheva
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Putin praises Musk as visionary, likens him to Soviet-era space icon Korolov
Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 16 lauded U.S. tech billionaire Elon Musk as a trailblazing visionary, comparing him to legendary Ukraine-born Soviet rocket scientist Serhii Korolov during a speech at Bauman Moscow State Technical University.
“You know, there is such a person, he lives in the States, Musk, who, you could say, raves about Mars,” Putin told a group of university students.
“Such people (Musk) do not often appear in the human population, energized by a certain idea… Just as the ideas of Korolov, our pioneers, were implemented in their time."
Korolov, an engineer born in Zhytomyr in Soviet Ukraine, is widely regarded as the father of the Soviet space program, having developed the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, and the Vostok spacecraft that carried the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into orbit in 1961.
Musk — the CEO of SpaceX, owner of X, and a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump — has long claimed his ambition to put humans on Mars. He has suggested 2029 as a possible target for the first crewed mission, with 2031 considered more likely.
The Kremlin has been intensifying its outreach to Musk. In March, Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a key Kremlin envoy in talks with the U.S., proposed that Moscow supply nuclear power technology for Musk’s Mars missions.
Dmitriev called Musk a “great visionary” and said Russia was open to cooperation between SpaceX and Roscosmos, Russia’s state-run space agency.
Initially supporting Ukraine by providing Starlink satellite communications, Musk has become increasingly critical of the embattled country and President Volodymyr Zelensky, often echoing pro-Russian narratives.
Despite severe Western sanctions and the collapse of most economic ties with the U.S., Russia and the United States continue to cooperate on some space initiatives.
Trump extends US sanctions on Russian ships for another year“I am continuing for one year the national emergency with respect to the Russian Federation and the emergency authority relating to the regulation of the anchorage and movement of Russian-affiliated vessels to United States ports,” a U.S. Federal Register document says.
The Kyiv IndependentVolodymyr Ivanyshyn
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EU fails to agree on sanctions on Russian LNG, Reuters reports
The EU has shelved the idea of banning Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) imports due to opposition from some members and uncertainty about alternative supplies, Reuters reported on April 16, citing undisclosed EU officials.
This means that restrictions on Russian LNG are unlikely to be part of the EU’s upcoming 17th sanctions package.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Europe began to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels to avoid financing the Kremlin’s war chest.
Despite these efforts, Europe’s imports of Russian LNG, which is largely not subject to sanctions, have soared to record levels in 2024. A ban on Russian LNG has been debated for months, but the members have struggled to find consensus on the issue.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed for the EU to start purchasing U.S. LNG instead, but details of such a potential deal remain unclear.
As economic relations between the U.S. and the EU sour over Trump’s new sweeping tariffs, Brussels wants to use Russian LNG supplies as leverage in trade talks with Washington, a European Commission official told Reuters.
The EU is also careful not to create a dependency on the U.S. either, according to the news agency. Trump’s sweeping import duties on much of the world, as well as a foreign policy pivot away from European partners and embrace of Moscow, raise concerns in Europe that Washington is no longer a reliable partner.
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 Trump’s tariffs.
Trump’s Ukraine peace push is really about business — and Putin knows itThe American and Russian delegations that just met in Istanbul had made it clear that they were there to discuss the normalization of their diplomatic missions’ work, not the war in Ukraine. But such engagement is a clear corollary to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to negotiate an
The Kyiv IndependentNina L. Khrushcheva
