Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump in the Vatican basilica, April 26, 2025

EA on TVP World: Putin’s Last Gamble — Using Trump to Defeat Ukraine

EA-Times Radio VideoCast: Can Ukraine and Europe Block Putin’s Manipulation of Trump?

Tuesday’s Coverage: Putin Strings Trump Along, Maintains Demand for Kyiv’s Surrender

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1934 GMT:

Appearing before a House hearing, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio carried out a series of evasions to avoid calling Vladimir Putin a “war criminal”.

On the fifth attempt, Rubio says, “War crimes have been committed, no doubt, and who is responsible for that? There will be time and place for that accountability. But right now, the job is to end the war.”

Rep. Bill Keating summarizes, “So you won’t answer the question.”

UPDATE 1924 GMT:

Russia has hacked into border security cameras to spy on and disrupt aid entering Ukraine, claim the UK intelligence services and its allies.

Unit 26165 of GRU military intelligence used the hacking to surveil crossings and railway stations and near military installations.

The unit, known as APT 28 and Fancy Bear, sent phishing emails containing pornography and fake professional information. With stolen account passwords, they broke into systems

.

About 10,000 cameras were breached near military installations, and rail stations. Around 80% were in Ukraine, 10% in Romania, 4% in Poland, 2.8% in Hungary, and 1.7% in Slovakia.

UPDATE 1750 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted after a conversation with European Council President António Costa:

UPDATE 1146 GMT:

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says the military had to intervene in the Baltic Sea after a ship from Russia’s “shadow fleet” carried out “suspicious maneuvers” near the power cable connecting Poland with Sweden.

“After the effective intervention of our military, the ship sailed to one of the Russian ports,” Tusk posted.

Poland’s survey ship ORP Herweliusz is en route to the site to investigate further.

The Polish grid operator PSE confirmed the cable was still operational.

UPDATE 1043 GMT:

The Trump Administration has objected to the mention of “further support” for Ukraine in a joint statement by G7 finance ministers.

Canada, chairing the G7, is hosting the finance ministers this week. The summit is a precursor to the summit of G7 heads of state on June 15-17.

The Administration also refused to label Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as “illegal”, officials said.

Trump advisors did not support a G7 joint statement condemning Russia’s deadly attack on Sumy city, which killed 35 people and injured 119 on Palm Sunday last month. They opposed a joint statement on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war on February 24 and vetoed a proposal for a task force tracking the Russian “shadow fleet” of tankers.

UPDATE 1032 GMT:

Andriy Portnov, a senior aide to former Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, has been shot and killed by unidentified gunmen outside the American School in a Madrid suburb.

Accused of widespread corruption, Yanukovych fled office and went to Russia on February 21, 2014 amid the Maidan Revolution for rights and reforms.

Before Yanukovych’s departure, Portnov was involved in drafting legislation aimed at persecuting participants in Maidan.

Police believe Portnov, who was getting into his Mercedes after dropping off his children at the school, was shot at least three times in the head and back by two or three attackers around 9:15 a.m.

The politician was sanctioned by the US in 2021 over allegations that he was involved in corruption, particularly in the judiciary.

UPDATE 0832 GMT:

Ukraine has presented a 40-page White Paper to the European Union for toughened sanctions on Russia.

The measures include seizure of Russian assets, targeting of foreign companies that use their technology to help Moscow, and sanctions on some buyers of Russian oil.

The White Paper also calls on the EU to consider majority-rules decisionmaking over sanctions, preventing individual members — such as Hungary, led by Vladimir Putin’s long-time ally Viktor Orbán, from blocking measures.

UPDATE 0754 GMT:

Ukrainian drones have damaged a semiconductor manufacturing facility, producing electronic components for tanks and missile systems, in the Oryol region in western Russia.

Oryol Governor Andrei Klichkov confirmed the damage, “Currently, work is underway at the incident sites to eliminate the consequences of the attack. There are no casualties.”

The Bolkhov facility, more than 300 km (186 miles) from the Ukrainian border, manufactures microchips, semiconductors, indicators, microassemblies, and “eternal batteries” for military and civilian use. The plant was sanctioned by the US in May 2024.

Despite the international sanctions, the complex produces up to 3 million devices annually and employs around 700 staff.

UPDATE 0747 GMT:

At least two civilians have been killed and at least 23 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses downed 22 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 41 were lost to electronic counter-measures.

The fatalities and five of the injured were caused by Russian drone attacks and airstrikes on Yunahiv in the Sumy region in northeast Ukraine.

Casualties were also reported in the DOnetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Kyiv regions.

UPDATE 0741 GMT:

A Russian missile strike has killed six Ukrainian military personnel and wounded more than 10 on a shooting range in the Sumy region in northern Ukraine.

“An official investigation into the tragedy is underway,” the National Guard said in a statement. “The commander of the unit has been suspended, and the necessary information has been passed to law enforcement agencies.”

UPDATE 0720 GMT:

Polish prosecutors have charged a man with assisting Russian foreign intelligence in a possible assassination attempt on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Pawel K. was arrested on April 17, 2024 in Poland following a joint investigation by Polish and Ukrainian authorities. He faces up to eight years in prison.

Investigators said the defendant established contact with Russian citizens directly involved in the war in Ukraine. His tasks included collecting and providing information on security at the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland.

UPDATE 0713 GMT:

Russian law enforcement agencies have sent 20,000 naturalized migrants to the frontline in Ukraine.

Investigative Committee Head Alexander Bastrykin told the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum that the men had failed to register for military service: “Already 20,000 young citizens of Russia, who for some reason do not like living in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, are on the front lines.”

He said he had ordered military investigators, police, and Russia’s National Guard to conduct regular raids on areas where migrants live. He claimed many foreigners had begun “slowly” leaving Russia to avoid conscription.

Russian forces are pursuing monthly recruitment drives of 30,000 to 40,000 men, according to Western intelligence services.

UPDATE 0703 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed to Donald Trump that Kyiv and the US establish a free trade agreement.

Deputy Economy Minister and Trade Representative Taras Kachka said Zelensky made the offer in a letter to Trump, citing opportunities for cooperation in trade and the defense industry.

“This, accordingly, will be the next stage of our conversations,” Kachka said during a conference in Kyiv. “We are interested in free trade agreements with all G7 countries….We have them with Britain, Canada, and the European Union. We also need the United States and Japan.”

Ukraine and the US launched initial talks on a free trade zone in 2021.

Ukrainian trade with the US has dropped in recent years, with only $874 million of exports and $3.4 billion of American imports last year.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Amid Donald Trump’s persistent affinity for Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasized that “it is important that America remain engaged” in the effort to end Russia’s 39-month invasion of Ukraine.

Zelensky addressed the nation on Tuesday night, after a day of conversations with European leaders about next steps following Trump’s 2 1/2-hour conversation with Putin on Monday.

It is important that America remains engaged in the process of bringing peace closer. It is America that Russia fears, and it is American influence that can save many lives, if used as leverage to make Putin end the war.

The President hailed “important decisions on sanctions” with the European Union adopting a 17th package over Russia’s invasion: “This is a step in the right direction, and there should be as many sanctioning steps as necessary for Russia to become interested in peace and to feel the full price of its aggression and desire to prolong the war. I thank everyone who is helping.”

Europe “Finally Focusing on Sanctions Compliance and Enforcement”

Zelensky spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Discussions included “relations and coordination with the United States”, support for Ukraine’s military and weapons production, and the latest EU and UK sanctions. Zelensky also spoke with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni about the Vatican’s offer to hold peace talks.

The European package included measures against almost 200 ships in Russia’s “shadow fleet”, transporting oil and threatening undersea cables, and individuals and entities involved in hybrid warfare and human rights violations.

The EU is also developing an 18th package, with further sanctions on Russia’s energy and financial sectors, unless Vladimir Putin accepts the Ukraine-Europe initiative for a 30-day ceasefire.

A source close to the planning confirmed, “The EU is finally going to focus on sanctions compliance and enforcement. They are diverting staff from diplomatic efforts to the task.”

A document reviewed by POLITICO, confirmed by two officials, indicates the EU is scaling back operations at 10 foreign delegations and laying off around 100 local staff as part of budget reductions and a broader restructuring.

As part of the restructuring, delegations in countries linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet” could increase staff. Delegations in countries where the EU no longer sees a strong need for a large diplomatic presence, such as Belarus or Lesotho, will likely be reduced.

Zelensky thanked the EU’s Von der Leyen:

It is a step in the right direction. It is important to impose tough restrictions on Russia’s tanker fleet, which serves to finance killings, as well as on all the schemes Russia uses to build up its military industry. The more pressure there is on Russia, the more incentives Moscow will have to move toward genuine peace.

The UK Foreign Office announced 100 further sanctions targeting supply chains of Russian weapons systems, including Iskander missiles; Kremlin-funded information operations; financial institutions that help evasion of sanctions; and ships in the “shadow fleet”.

Speaking in a Congressional hearing, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio put out mixed signals. He opposed any additional American sanctions as they might keep Putin from the negotiating table. However, he spoke of the pursuit of additional Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing missile and drone attacks on civilian areas.