With the start of Donald Trump's second term in office, NATO finds itself on shaky ground — reports that the U.S. president might cut the alliance's funding do little to ease fears. A leaked White House memo revealed plans to slash the U.S. State Department funding for the next
Japan's funds will be disbursed over 30 years and directed toward budgetary needs and to support reconstruction and development.
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.
Ukrainian airline SkyUp Airlines has made its first regular flight since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, flying on the Chisinau-Paris route on April 18, the Ain outlet reported, citing the company's press service.
Raiffeisen Bank International has suspended efforts to sell its unit in Russia amid warming ties between Moscow and Washington, the Financial Times (FT) reported on April 18, citing undisclosed sources.
Speaking 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.
Moscow's forces launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile, five Iskander-K cruise missiles, and 37 attack and decoy drones against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported.
Prague cast off its dependence on Russia's Druzhba oil pipeline for the first time in over 60 years, securing alternative supplies thanks to the expansion of the western Transalpine Pipeline (TAL).
The attack caused a fire to break out in the city. According to Governor Serhii Lysak, a shop, a cafe, several houses, outbuildings, cars, and a bus stop were damaged.
Shuya's residents reported explosions in the early morning hours of April 17, with local authorities issuing a drone alert. Footage shared online shows explosions and a fire in the area.
Multiple Ukrainian outlets have reported that the official in question is Volodymyr Prokopiv.
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.
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 official sources.
Russian forces have deployed Shahed-type "kamikaze" drones carrying toxic substances to attack Ukraine, the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council said on April 16.
"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," Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said.
The Trump administration officials are dissatisfied with European countries' ongoing support for Ukraine, underscoring the growing rift between Washington and Europe, the Economist reported on April 15, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The Trump administration has reportedly lowered the payback it seeks under a minerals agreement with Ukraine from $300 billion to $100 billion.
Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least one civilian and injured at least 27 over the past day, regional authorities reported on April 16.
Bulgaria's deputy prime minister and chairman of the co-ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Atanas Zafirov, announced the news, arguing that Sofia needs to develop its nuclear energy capacities.
The U.S. has told the other G7 members it would not support a joint statement condemning Russia's deadly attack on Sumy last week so as not to disrupt peace efforts, Bloomberg reported on April 15, citing undisclosed sources.
The EU sanctions consist of two documents adopted one after another: a decision and a regulation. While a regulation must by extended by all 27 members every six months, a decision remains in force until a qualified majority repeals it, RFE/RL reported.
One of the new formations, the 1st Azov Corps, will be led by Colonel Denys Prokopenko, the commander of the 12th Special Forces Azov Brigade.
Sumy Oblast Governor Volodymyr Artiukh's dismissal follows accusations that he planned a military award ceremony on the day of a deadly Russian attack on Sumy on April 13.
"It wasn't my initiative. I was invited," Sumy Oblast Governor Volodymyr Artiukh told Suspilne, without commenting on who was behind the planned event.
Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least six civilians and injured at least 17, including a child, over the past day, regional authorities reported on April 15.
The U.S. still holds an edge in terms of military aid — its 65 billion euros ($74 billion) lead Europe by 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) — but the gap is shrinking as Washington has not allocated a new aid package since Jan. 9, still under the Biden administration.
A possible meeting between Trump and Putin could be on the agenda, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
"From March 11 to April 11, Russia shot at Ukraine almost 70 missiles of various types, over 2,200 Shahed drones, and more than 6,000 guided aerial bombs," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
The Netherlands is allocating 150 million euros ($170 million) to boost Ukraine's air defenses, while Lithuania intends to allocate 20 million euros ($23 million) for ammunition purchases, the two countries' defense ministers said on April 11.
"Take the Feb. 24 (when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine). Feb. 23 is the day of Russian Army. For the Kremlin, always, dates are very important," Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told journalists in Brussels.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky would join the meeting, co-chaired by Germany and the U.K., through a video conference, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told journalists.
The U.K., France, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and another unnamed country stand ready to send their soldiers, while other leaders want to see a more detailed plan before making commitments, AFP reported.
