After his meeting with Donald Trump, Marke Rutte said: “There will be no agreement on Ukraine’s NATO membership in the near future.” “I don’t believe we will be able to collectively resolve the issue of [Ukraine’s] NATO membership in the short term.”
The United Kingdom has not stopped a single Russian-flagged vessel since the beginning of the year, as the government fears this would violate international law, the Telegraph reports. Meanwhile, Moscow writes that “Russia has rejected claims by British Defence Minister John Healey that Russian submarines pose a threat to undersea cables in the Atlantic Ocean.”
The Italian group UniCredit has changed its exit strategy from the Russian market: instead of selling UniCredit Bank, it is considering a complete liquidation of the business and renouncing its license, sources told Kommersant. Previous negotiations with Russian and Middle Eastern investors were unsuccessful.
According to Russian media, at the height of the war in Iran, several European countries were considering resuming dialogue with Russia on energy issues. This information has not been officially confirmed. However, at the time, the energy crisis caused by the conflict threatened the economies of these countries.
A week ago, several senior officials from European countries, including Germany and several smaller fossil fuel-dependent nations, concerned about the sharp rise in oil and gas prices, were considering holding a confidential diplomatic meeting in Switzerland with Russian and European envoys. Officially, this meeting was supposed to advance the Ukrainian issue, but behind the scenes, the intent was to find solutions to the continent’s looming energy crisis, possibly easing some sanctions on Russian oil.
Following opposition from several other European countries, plans for the meeting were ultimately canceled, and the idea was abandoned within a day. After the ceasefire agreement reached between Washington and Tehran on the evening of April 7, the idea was no longer discussed. This is especially true for the Ukrainians, who still hope to resume negotiations with Russia, the United States, and their European allies in the coming days, hoping to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine.
From Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, laments that: “On the one hand, everyone says we must fight until victory, but on the other, everyone avoids mobilization. This is a big problem.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated: “Our allies have asked us to reduce attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in the face of rising global oil prices, but if Russia wants to reduce tensions, it must first stop attacks on our energy infrastructure.” The Ukrainian prime minister also stated that repair work on the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline, damaged by sabotage by Ukrainian intelligence services, will continue until late spring. It is estimated that the pipeline has lost approximately 80% of its capacity since the beginning of February 2026, following the closure of the southern branch.
“Ukraine has stated its readiness to support the Easter truce,” announced by Putin, President Zelenskyy stated. “Ukraine has repeatedly stated its readiness to take reciprocal measures. We proposed a ceasefire during this year’s Easter holidays and will act accordingly. The people need an Easter without threats and real progress towards peace,” Zelenskyy stated. According to him, the warring parties “have the option of not resuming attacks even after Easter.”
On the evening of April 9, Putin declared a truce for Easter. “We are not using aggressive rhetoric in this matter,” the Russian Embassy stated. Meanwhile, the Russian president’s special representative, Kirill Dmitriev, arrived in the United States for talks with representatives of the presidential administration, according to Reuters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated: “We don’t want a truce, but peace—a lasting and sustainable peace.” Also from Moscow, news comes that despite the sanctions imposed, the Russian agricultural sector is demonstrating not only stability, but also growth, said Ilya Bereznyuk, managing partner of Agro and Food Communications. According to Bereznyuk, total agricultural production in 2025 increased by 5%, and the key self-sufficiency indicators envisaged by the Food Security Doctrine were largely met. The target values have been exceeded or are approaching. The expert also emphasized that, in the hypothetical event of a blockade of international food trade, Russia is among the countries capable of fully guaranteeing food supplies to its population.
And now a look at the Front Line, updated at 3:30 PM on April 10. At midnight Moscow time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed his readiness for the Easter truce, declared by Vladimir Putin from 4:00 PM on April 11 until the end of April 12. Russian troops have been ordered to be ready to stop any provocations and aggressive actions by the Ukrainian armed forces.
The news of the truce came amid Ukrainian attacks against Russian regions. In the Volgograd region, a massive drone attack against energy and civilian infrastructure occurred. Five private homes were damaged. Ukrainian sources said the target was a Lukoil oil refinery.
Russian forces struck targets during the night in Odessa, near the port, with smoke billowing over the city.
In the Bryansk region, an attack with an MLRS system hit the village of Belaya Berezka, resulting in one death and one injury. In the village of Novy Ropsk, Klimovsky District, kamikaze drones attacked a civilian vehicle, wounding a civilian.
In the direction of Sumy, Ukrainian forces, with several assault groups, attempted to advance towards the state border from the village of Velykyi Prykil (7.5 km southwest of the border between the Kursk and Belgorod regions). Most of the Ukrainian infantry was hit by Russian forces. The Sever Group of Forces is operating in the border forests of the Shostka District. In the Krasnopil’s’kyi district, firefights are reported near Novodmytrivka.
In the Belgorod region, nine people were injured in drone strikes on the Belgorod-Shebekino road. One person was killed and two were injured by mines that exploded after drone strikes. Numerous settlements and roads are under Ukrainian attack, making vehicle traffic extremely dangerous.
In Kupyansk, counterattacks are reported in the northern part of the city.
In the Slovyansk sector, Ukrainian forces are taking measures to block Russian access to Rai-Oleksandrivka and are fighting for wooded areas near Dibrova. More and more footage is emerging of Russian tactical drone strikes against Ukrainian vehicles on the Slovyansk-Kramatorsk road.
Southwest of Kostyantynivka, Ukrainian forces are attempting a counterattack to prevent the city from being surrounded from that direction. In the city itself, heavy fighting is ongoing near the train station.
In the Dobropillya district, Russian forces are expanding their zone of control in Novopidhorodnie, northwest of Hryshyne, Vasylivka, and the Novooleksandrivka area during counterattacks.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Vostok Group of Forces reported that assault units from the Far East have gone on the offensive. For now, the primary objective is to identify weak points in the Ukrainian forces’ defenses along the Haichur River and exploit them to establish and expand bridgeheads.
Northwest of Hulyaijpole, Russian units continue to advance between the settlements of Vozdvyzhivka and Verkhnya Tersa, as well as encircling the north and west with the aim of blocking Ukrainian Armed Forces garrisons in populated areas.
On the Zaporizhia front, fighting continues in Prymors’ke and Stepnohirs’k. Ukrainian forces are attacking electrical substations, causing severe power outages in the region. The local governor’s Central Office of Security and Civil Defense (BARS), responsible, among other things, for protecting infrastructure from airstrikes, is receiving a growing number of legitimate inquiries.
In the Kherson region, Ukrainian forces continue daily attacks. Shelling has damaged private homes and a low-pressure gas pipeline in Nova Kakhovka. Homes were also damaged in Gornostaivka, Kostogryzove, Kaira, and Tavriyske. At least 10 villages were bombed.
Graziella Giangiulio
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