Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin U-turns on Zelensky peace talks with Trump pushing for deal ‘this week’
Russia has resumed its brutal aerial attack on Ukraine after claiming it ‘strictly observed’ Easter ceasefire
Russian president Vladimir Putin has for the first time proposed direct peace talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Putin has previously claimed he would only negotiate peace with Ukraine if the country held elections to form a new government, having repeatedly made false claims that Mr Zelensky is an illegitimate leader despite his election in 2019.
The Russian autocrat has suggested face-to-face talks for the first time since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, with Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a quick ceasefire deal have failed to bear fruit.
Mr Trump said Russia and Ukraine can do “big business” with Washington if they reach a deal. "Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week," the US president wrote on Truth Social over the weekend.
It comes as representatives from Ukraine, the UK, France and the US were set to meet in London on Wednesday to continue talks on a potential ceasefire.
While Mr Zelensky did not directly respond to Mr Putin’s proposal, he emphasised in his nightly video address that Ukraine "was ready for any conversation" that would stop strikes on civilians.
“Actions always speak louder than words,” he posted on X.
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Starmer backs Ukraine ceasefire call as Russia’s ‘Easter truce’ ends
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Kremlin 'considered plans' to revive Moscow Trump Tower
Russian officials discussed reviving proposals for the construction of a Trump Tower in Moscow as part of their bid to entice Donald Trump to reset ties between the two countries, according to a report in the Moscow Times citing Kremlin officials.
The “big deal” involving Mr Trump would also include inviting him to attend the ground-breaking ceremony in Moscow, the report said.
It is unclear where the proposal stands now, according to the Kyiv Independent. The reports came as Mr Trump said he would reveal his peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war later this week.
Russian forces stage mass drone attack on Ukraine’s Odesa, governor says
Russian forces launched a mass overnight drone attack on residential areas of Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, triggering fires and damaging many apartments, local officials said early this morning.
"The enemy targeted a residential area in a densely populated district of Odesa," mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He posted pictures of a fire blazing out of control and apartment buildings with windows smashed and facades damaged.
Regional governor Oleh Kiper said the attack damaged dwellings, civilian infrastructure, an educational institution and vehicles.
Emergency crews had been dispatched to the affected areas and information on casualties was being clarified, Kiper said.
Odesa, with its three ports, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks in the more than three-year-old conflict with Russia.
Russia recaptures monastery in Kursk from Ukraine, Tass says
Russian forces have retaken a monastery in Russia's Kursk region where Ukrainian troops had been holed up, state media reported on Tuesday.
Tass news agency quoted a security source as saying Russian forces had captured the St Nicholas Belogorsky monastery in the village of Gornal.
The claim has not yet been independently verified, and Ukraine is yet to comment.
A Russian military Telegram channel said Ukraine had deployed troops, artillery and drone launchers at the historic site, which it said Russia had retaken after 10 days of fierce fighting.
Russia is close to expelling the last Ukrainian troops from Kursk region, where they smashed across the border in a shock incursion last August.
Moscow responded by sending in heavy reinforcements, including soldiers from its ally North Korea.
Russia launches 54 drones overnight, Ukrainian air force says
Russia launched 54 drones at Ukrainian air defences in an overnight attack on Tuesday, Kyiv’s air force said.
A total of 38 drones were shot down and another 16 did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures.
Russian journalist critical of army on the run after escaping house arrest
A Russian journalist facing up to a decade in prison for criticising the army has escaped house arrest and is wanted by police, Russian state media has reported.
Ekaterina Barabash, 63, was arrested in February on suspicion of spreading false information about the Russian military on social media.
Authorities were alerted to her disappearance on 13 April by an electronic monitoring system, AFP cited Tass state news agency as saying.
“The accused has been declared wanted,” the Moscow branch of Russia’s federal penitentiary service said according to Tass.
Barabash had been critical of the army while writing for multiple news outlets, and on Facebook accused them of having “razed whole cities to the ground”.
Criticising the army and its operations in Ukraine was made illegal shortly after Moscow’s invasion began, and authorities have launched thousands of cases against those it deemed critical.
In pictures: Fire rages after Russian attack on northeastern Sumy region
Zelensky to attend Pope Francis' funeral
Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Italy to attend Pope Francis’ funeral, a source in Ukraine’s presidential office told Reuters on Tuesday.
US president Donald Trump will also attend the funeral.
The 88-year-old pontiff died following a stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure, the Vatican announced on Monday.
Europe has expressed red lines over Ukraine to US, French foreign minister says
Europe last week expressed its red lines over Ukraine to Washington, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said, ahead of a fresh round of discussions in London on Wednesday.
Speaking to francinfo radio, Mr Barrot added that Vladimir Putin’s Easter truce in Ukraine was a marketing operation aimed at stopping Donald Trump becoming impatient with him over failed efforts to reach a quick ceasefire.
Watch: Putin pays tribute to Pope Francis
Two injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv
Two people were injured after a Russian attack on the Kharkiv region with a guided aerial bomb, regional authorities said.
Russian forces hit the village of Horokhovatka in the northeastern region, Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the region’s military administration, said.
The attack damaged more than 10 residential properties, shops and a post office, injuring a 55-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
“The investigators reported that the Russian armed forces conducted an airstrike on the village of Horokhovatka, Izium district, at about 04:40 on 22 April. The guided aerial bomb hit a residential area, and four houses caught fire,” authorities said.
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