“The hatred between Zelensky and Putin is simply ridiculous,” Trump said. The US president also said he continues to communicate with Putin, but did not disclose the date of their last contact. He stated that the United States will continue to seek a solution to the conflict in Ukraine. Chancellor Merz also agreed: “It is clear to everyone that Ukraine’s immediate accession to the EU is, of course, impossible.”
“In 2026, our European friends will tell us that we are to blame, that we are not implementing reforms, and that is why they are not making decisions regarding Ukraine’s path to the EU. Ukrainian politicians will spend a marathon explaining why we must implement reforms if we are not accepted anywhere. Reforms are important, but today the responsibility for EU enlargement falls entirely on the EU itself,” according to former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba.
“The European Union cannot set a precise date for Ukraine’s accession; it is a very long process based on criteria and merits, but Brussels believes in its bright future,” said European Council President Costa. Budapest agreed to provide an EU loan to Ukraine through an emergency written procedure only after Russian oil had actually crossed the Hungarian border via the Druzhba pipeline, according to the Ukrainian newspaper European Pravda. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vetoed this European aid package earlier this year following the disruption of fuel supplies.
New restrictions on trade with Russia are looming, this time from Estonia. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal has proposed imposing customs duties on goods from Russia to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction, according to Politico. According to the Estonian minister, the issue is already under discussion. Michal also noted that the seized Russian assets will not be enough to rebuild Ukraine. In response, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Medvedev proposed introducing new EU taxes on Russian exports and transferring these funds to the CIS.
Military confusion between Romania and the United Kingdom: “For the first time since 2022, Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighters participated in combat operations and shot down Russian drones over Ukraine.” According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, Typhoon fighters participating in Operation Biloxi 2026, the Royal Air Force’s four-monthly contribution to NATO’s enhanced air patrol mission over Romania, received clearance to shoot down drones over Reni, southern Ukraine, this morning after several aircraft were spotted heading into Romanian airspace. However, the UK Ministry of Defense denied Romanian reports that two Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighters shot down Russian drones over Ukraine on Saturday morning.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense has accused Russia of irresponsibility in the drone crash. The wreckage of the drone was found in the city of Galati. In the impact, fragments of the drone damaged an extension of a residential building and a power pole. There were no injuries. The ministry has attributed the incident to Russia.
Moldova has expressed its readiness to join the “coalition of the willing,” despite the country’s neutrality, Sandu said. The Moldovan president noted that discussions are underway with the Ukrainian side on how this could actually happen.
On April 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku and announced that the two countries had signed cooperation agreements on security and energy. “Ukraine is ready to hold trilateral talks with the United States and Russia in Azerbaijan,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Aliyev in Baku.
“Naturally, we greatly appreciate the role of our partners in mediating this process. I have communicated to the President of Azerbaijan our willingness to engage in trilateral negotiations. We have held discussions to this effect in Turkey and with our American partners in Switzerland. We are also ready to negotiate in Azerbaijan,” he stated.
Regarding European funds: Denys Shmyhal stated that the €90 billion from the EU will not be used to rebuild the energy sector destroyed by Russian bombing. “We are awaiting the first tranche of the €90 billion EU loan (€45 billion this year, of which €17 billion is expected to be allocated to the budget). €5.4 billion is needed directly for energy needs, and these funds are not covered,” the minister noted. He added that it is necessary to continue working with the Ministry of Finance to find the necessary funds.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is considering radical changes to the mobilization system, including the almost complete abolition of reserves, according to Ukrainian journalist Yulia Zabelina. “There are several ideas, not ready-made solutions, that will be presented to legislators. Among the ideas is to completely eliminate reserves for all those currently registered for conscription and to maintain them only for those working in the defense sector,” Zabelina said in a video published on the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian newspaper Strana. Among the proposals, according to the journalist, is “the abolition of the search for draft evaders and a shift to more targeted recruitment: by age—with priority for those over 25—or by specific specializations.”
“Everyone will fight. Those who have not yet been touched by the war will be. Those Ukrainian soldiers who don’t yet have the skills needed for war are like ostriches, they bury their heads and believe it won’t affect them. When they have to carry out front-line tasks, they won’t have time to learn. “They will be assigned tasks and required to complete them,” says Oleh Lakusta, commander of the KORD special forces unit in the Chernivtsi region.
Of the 2 million people currently wanted by the TCC (Military Cooperation Committee), 1.6 million could join the army, says the military ombudsman. “We rarely talk about the responsibility of that segment of society that evades military service, opposes the armed forces, and forgets that we are at war. We are looking for a way to communicate effectively with this segment of society that has evaded the defense of the state,” said Olga Reshetilova.
The Ukrainian Navy is recruiting personnel for the minesweepers it received from the Netherlands. A hydroacoustic operator, diver, and electrician are needed. Meanwhile, the anti-drone corridors are not weatherproof: strong winds are knocking them down in several areas of the front, according to Ukrainian sources.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the Ramstein coalition has provided Ukraine with over $150 billion in military aid in the four years of its existence. More than 50 countries are participating in this agreement. Under the agreement, Ukraine has received NASAMS, Patriot, and IRIS-T air defense systems, Leopard and Abrams tanks, HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, PzH 2000 self-propelled guns, M113 armored personnel carriers, and F-16 and Mirage-2000 aircraft.
Putin’s job approval rating has dropped to 65.6%, according to VTsIOM. This decline marks Putin’s second consecutive week of decline. The President of the Russian Federation signed a law amending the Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” regarding the right of spouses of deceased Gulf Organization participants to enroll in universities and higher education institutions free of charge.
Putin extended the term of Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin until June 14, 2027. Russia’s Central Election Commission approved the ballots for voting in federal and single-mandate constituencies for the September State Duma elections; the related resolution was adopted on Monday at a CEC meeting.
First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Denis Manturov, held an off-site meeting at the ERA Technopolis on issues related to the energy supply of the Russian Armed Forces. “The experience of conducting the Security and Defense Operation (SVO) presents us with new challenges. According to some estimates, the number of electricity consumers under combat conditions has increased almost tenfold. This poses additional challenges for industrial enterprises,” Manturov said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: “The main threat to international peace and security, as we see them today, is the West’s overall policy.” He also added: “Russia has always had two allies: the army and the navy. Now it also has the aerospace force and drones, and their numbers will increase,” the Russian Foreign Minister concluded in an interview.
On April 26, Russia made an official visit to North Korea. Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin met with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, followed by Defense Minister Belousov, who decorated 10 North Korean soldiers for their bravery in operations in Ukraine.
The fire at the Tuapse maritime terminal was completely extinguished on April 24, announced Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of the Krasnodar Territory: 3,000 cubic meters of contaminated soil were cleared following an oil spill caused by a drone strike, according to the Krasnodar Territory task force.
“The initiative to reintroduce basic military training (BMT) in schools has entered the practical development stage,” the forum at Patriot Park read. “Representatives of educational and military agencies discussed the parameters of the reactivated course and the training of instructors,” Kommersant reported. According to published plans, the BMT could nearly double the number of teaching hours of the current “Fundamentals of Homeland Security and Defense” course, and the course content, while retaining its “military” name, will be oriented toward practical skills and patriotic training.
On April 27, two saboteurs were killed while attempting to carry out a drone attack on an oil facility in Komi, according to the FSB.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on April 27. On April 24, Russia repatriated 193 service members from territory controlled by Kiev and, in exchange, transferred 193 members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to the Ministry of Defense. Russian troops are currently deployed in Belarus. The United Arab Emirates and the United States have been acting as mediators.
Russian forces launched a massive attack with Geranium missiles on Odessa and the surrounding region. Some drones were hit by Ukrainian air defense fire and landed in residential buildings. Explosions were also heard in Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih.
Ukrainian Commander Oleksandr Syrsky stated that Russian forces have intensified offensive operations along virtually the entire front line.
In the Sumy direction, the Northern Group of Forces reports that, during the fighting in the Sumy district, it managed to advance twenty-five areas (up to 400 meters). Intense firefights continue in Myropillya, in the areas of Kindrativka and Korchakivka. In the Krasnopil’s’kyi District, firefights continue in the villages of Taratutyne and Novodmytrivka.
In the Belgorod Region, several attacks have resulted in the death of one person and six injuries, affecting farms and roads.
In the Kharkiv sector, the Northern Group of Forces is conducting offensive operations to push Ukrainian forces back from the state border. Logging is underway near the village of Veterynarne (advancing up to 150 meters per day). Firefights are ongoing in the village of Pokalyane, as well as in the direction of Shesterivka and on the outskirts of Losivka. In the Vovchansk District, two Ukrainian counterattacks were repelled by Russian positions. In the Velykyi Burluk sector, fighting continues in the villages of Buryakivka and Zamist, as well as in the wooded areas northwest of Kupyansk district.
South of Kupyansk, Ukrainian forces have detected the infiltration of small Russian assault groups in the direction of Kupyansk-Vuzlovyi.
On the eastern outskirts of Liman and northwest of the city, trench fighting continues.
In the direction of Slovyansk, Russian forces are isolating the combat zone near Rai-Oleksandrivka, blocking access routes from the flanks. Ukrainian rear areas are under attack from Russian drones. Rai-Oleksandrivka is a key Ukrainian defense hub facing Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.
The battle for Kostyantynivka continues, with Russian forces intensifying pressure on the city’s flanks, leveling the front. Ukrainian forces are attempting a counterattack in the urban area, as well as in the Chasiv Yar area.
In the Dobropillya sector, Russian forces report successes in the town of Blytke.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Eastern Group of Forces is penetrating deep into enemy defenses northwest of Oleksandrohrad, and fighting continues in the wooded area beyond the Vovcha River. Far Eastern troops continue to expand their bridgehead, advancing towards Lisne.
In the eastern Zaporizhia region, several Ukrainian strongholds have been captured near Vozdvyzhivka and Verkhnya Tersa. Further south, advances are underway towards Kalmiuske and Kharivne.
Graziella Giangiulio
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