Trump has signed an executive order extending Biden’s sanctions package against Russia by one year. This is stated in a notice in the US Federal Register.
A response to the Ukrainian accusations comes from China: “All Chinese fighting alongside Russia are volunteers and have no connection to the Chinese government,” Reuters writes, citing US officials. At the same time, Chinese army officers are present in the rear of the Russian group, but they do not take part in combat operations. There are just over a hundred Chinese fighting in the Russian army; “They are fighting for money,” the media report, citing US officials.
The Turkish Defense Ministry has clarified information about the event, previously reported by Turkish media as “a meeting of representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine in Ankara on the security of navigation in the Black Sea.” “A meeting on security issues in the Black Sea will be held at the Turkish Naval Command Headquarters on April 15-16, in light of a possible ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Military representatives of foreign countries will participate in the meeting, and the maritime aspect of military planning for maintaining peace in the Black Sea will be discussed,” the Turkish ministry statement was quoted as saying by Anadolu. The Defense Ministry did not provide a list of countries participating in the meeting. Dmitry Peskov did not confirm Turkish media reports that Russia is taking part in the talks in Ankara on Black Sea security.
The EU has collected two-thirds of the ammunition promised to Kiev, EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on April 14. He stressed that European countries have already pledged to allocate 23 billion euros to finance Ukraine in 2025. The process of appointing a special representative to the EU for negotiations on Ukraine is failing, TASS source reported. “The process has stalled, there is no trace of it in EU circles, for various reasons,” the source said.
From France: “Ukraine has accepted a ceasefire for more than a month, Putin clearly has no intention of moving in that direction. That is why he must be forced to do so,” said Jean-Noël Barrot, French Foreign Minister.
Ukraine has submitted its counter-proposal to the United States in Washington for an agreement on subsoil, Justice Minister Ol’ha Stefanishyna said, without specifying how the Americans reacted. “This is obviously not the last round. I expect that after these consultations, negotiations will continue until an agreement is reached. The Ukrainian delegation had the opportunity to convey to the American side all the proposals that we have prepared here in Kiev, which were agreed upon. They were all discussed,” Stefanishyna said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an interview to CBS News, where he spoke out against negotiations with Russia. “We cannot trust Russia. The point is that we cannot trust negotiations with Russia,” he said. He also believes that it is “wrong for America to try to remain neutral” and said that in the United States “Russian narratives prevail.” “Unfortunately, I think that the Russian narrative is dominant in the United States. How can one look at our losses and suffering, understand what the Russians are doing and at the same time believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war? This shows the enormous influence of Russian information policy on America, on American politics and on American politicians,” Zelensky said. He added that if Putin is not “stopped,” the war risks escalating into a global war.
In response to Zelensky’s words, Russian Sergei Lavrov said: “All efforts of the Euro-Atlantic community are focused on preparing for a new war, Germany, France and Great Britain are at the forefront of this.” “Eliminating the root causes of the conflict is the only way to end any conflict, including the Ukrainian one,” Lavrov said. “Trump is the only Western leader who said that Ukraine’s accession to NATO was a mistake and that this is one of the root causes,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.
Finally: “Since the beginning of the moratorium, Russia has provided Turkey with a list of Ukrainian attacks on energy facilities,” Lavrov said. Among other statements by Lavrov at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum : “The rights of residents of the new regions must be guaranteed regardless of Kiev’s opinion. Russia has not had contacts with Ukraine in Antalya. In the context of the Ukrainian resolution, Russia is not concerned with the problem of territories, but with the problem of the people who inhabit them. Trump is aware that the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine must be eliminated. There is always potential for progress in relations between Russia and the United States. Russia and the United States are discussing bilateral relations, starting with the normalization of the work of diplomatic missions, and Moscow is also considering the possibility of joint projects with Washington. The Euro-Atlantic structures created to ensure security have collapsed.”
Dmitry Peskov, answering journalists’ questions, said: “Kiev cannot or does not want to observe the moratorium on attacks on the energy sector: both are catastrophic.” Peskov called Putin’s contacts with Witkoff extremely useful. The possibility of a meeting between the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States was not discussed during the meeting between Putin and Whitkoff, Peskov said.
A third of US companies have lost the right to buy back assets sold in Russia due to the exit from the market after 2022. This was told to Expert by Robert Agee, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia.
The Russian Federation claims that it has evidence of another “meeting” between Ukrainian and Western military leaders that took place at a facility in Sumy, Lavrov said.
And now a look at the front line as of 16:30 on April 15. Overnight, the Ukrainian Armed Forces staged a massive drone strike on Kursk and the region; the strikes hit civilian targets and homes. One dead and nine injured. One of the attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kursk hit an ambulance depot, damaging 11 vehicles. During the day, five civilians were also killed in the Kursk region as a result of attacks and shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In the direction of Sumy, the Russian army continues offensive operations, pushing the Ukrainian Armed Forces away from the Kursk border area. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to send reinforcements from the Sumy region. Ukrainian troops have taken up positions, including on the territory of the St. Nicholas Belogorsky Monastery near Gornal. Russian FPVs operate at the Myropillia base in the Sumy region, which is used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a logistics hub. Rocket weapons were used in Sumy; the detonation of damaged military cargo on railway tracks near the city lasted up to 40 minutes.
In the Belgorod region, the activity of Ukrainian equipment was observed in the direction of Demidovka-Popovka. Russian UAV operators are ready to work. Since April 14, the 1st Air Force Rifle Brigade has been transferred to Krasnopillya from the Kherson region. The arriving Ukrainian reserves are suffering from complex fire damage. Also yesterday, the Ukrainian force that was heading towards Popovka and Demidovka was destroyed. In the evening, a drone of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit the village of Mokraya Orlovka in the Grayvoron district, injuring a civilian. The villages were also hit by drone strikes. Attacks were recorded in the towns of Shebekino, Nezhegol, Borisovka, Gruzskoye, Grayvoron.
North of Kupyansk, where Russian troops had previously crossed the Oskil River and created bridgeheads, the front is approaching Kindrashivka, the use of LMUR is noted on the Ukrainian deployment sites.
In the direction of Liman, Ukrainian accounts report the advance of Russian forces in the northern and central parts of the Yampolivka settlement
Southwest of Toretsk, in the direction of Kostyantynopil, the Russian army is advancing in the Zelene Pole area. Ukrainian channels write that Russian forces have advanced in the eastern and western parts of Valentynivka, as well as to the west of the village.
South of Pokrovs’k, units of the Russian Group of Forces “Center” – according to Russian accounts – “are breaking through to the border of the Dnepropetrovsk region. Battles are taking place in the direction of Novoserhiivka – Novomykolaivka, in the area of Novooleksandrivka. Russian assault units are attacking Kotlyarivka and Troits’ke.
In the direction of the south of Donetsk, battles are taking place near the settlement of Bahatyr. Russian troops are inflicting damage on Ukrainian defenses, taking control of their logistics and disrupting rotations in the area of the settlement. Russian armed forces in Odradne are advancing along the forest strips due to the huge number of both Russian and Ukrainian drones, the Russians have slowed down, GrV Vostok reports.
Three civilians were killed and six were injured in the Kherson region as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Graziella Giangiulio
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