US Vice President J.D. Vance: “One of the things I’m most proud of in our administration is ending funding for the war in Ukraine.” Despite this, planes carrying US weapons continue to arrive.
France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Poland oppose Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the EU — Politico. It is noted that the allies want Ukraine to first complete a full cycle of reforms in line with EU law and continue to do so for approximately another 10 years before joining the EU. Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told RMF FM radio: “The idea of accelerated accession has been raised within the Commission (European Commission). This will not happen,” Sikorski said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, defeated in the recent parliamentary elections, will lift his veto on the loan to Kiev as soon as oil supplies are restored. This was announced by Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza party, winner of the Hungarian parliamentary elections, according to Bloomberg.
French authorities have lifted the detention of the oil tanker Deyna, which was stopped on March 20 in the Western Mediterranean. The vessel had left the French territorial waters, according to the French Maritime Prefecture for the Mediterranean. A statement on the prefecture’s website states that on April 15, a court in Marseille ordered the shipowner to pay a fine for failing to officially confirm the vessel’s nationality (due to its lack of a flag). The amount of the fine was not specified. The tanker, flying the Mozambican flag, was detained by the French Navy with the support of the United Kingdom. The vessel was suspected of flying a false flag. French President Emmanuel Macron declared the tanker part of the “Russian shadow fleet.”
The first Norwegian F-16 fighters destined for Ukraine will soon be ready. The transferred fighters are already undergoing training and repairs, says Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahn Støre. Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Law No. 15110, extending the military drawdown for three years after the end of the war. According to the approved law, a separate special fund will be created in the Budget Code to receive the funds from the military drawdown.
Volodymyr Zelensky was in Oslo on April 14 and in Rome on April 15. The program included important meetings and the signing of a bilateral document that will help strengthen Ukraine’s security. Ukraine and Norway have signed a defense partnership declaration. Defense cooperation with Italy has been strengthened by the signing of a bilateral agreement. The Italian Defense Ministry statement states: “Future cooperation will cover various areas, such as capacity development, the exchange of experiences and lessons learned, as well as industrial cooperation in multiple sectors, including air defense, unmanned systems, munitions, and the maritime sector, among others. Collaboration could include joint research, technological cooperation, industrial partnerships, and investment initiatives, with the aim of expanding dialogue in areas relevant to modern defense, such as logistics, cybersecurity, and the protection of critical infrastructure.”
Kushner and Witkoff plan to visit Ukraine, Zelenskyy says. According to the president, the Ukrainian side expects a visit from US representatives, but the exact dates have not yet been confirmed.
Regarding Donbass: “We are not idiots.” “They tell us: guarantees will be possible only after the war is over, and the war will end when we leave Donbas. What difference does it make who makes these demands? We understand the meaning of these statements. US guarantees will be available only after the war is over, and the war will end if we leave Donbas,” he stated. He also stated that Ukraine is ready to participate in the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing the experience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
By the end of 2026, Russia’s public debt will reach 19.1% of GDP, according to a report by the International Monetary Fund. This figure is forecast to increase in subsequent years: in 2027 – to 21.2% of GDP; in 2028 – to 23.6% of GDP; in 2029 – to 25.4% of GDP; and in 2030 – to 27.2% of GDP. In 2031, the figure will reach 29.1% of GDP. The IMF’s October report stated By the end of this year, Russian public debt would reach 24.8% of GDP.
“Among the reasons for the decline in Russian GDP at the beginning of the year are calendar and weather factors,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting on economic issues. The president explained that “in January this year, there were two fewer working days than last year.” In February, he added, there was one fewer. “These are, of course, objective circumstances, but it is clear that they are not the only ones determining economic activity and investment in the country,” Putin added.
He noted that statistics show a slowdown in economic growth in Russia for two consecutive months and that GDP contracted by 1.8% between January and February.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the “creeping transformation” of several European countries into Ukraine’s strategic rear areas and published the names and addresses of Ukrainian companies in Europe that produce drones for strikes against Russia. These words were echoed by Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev: “The publication of Ukraine’s drone production sites in Europe constitutes a register of potential legitimate targets for the Russian Armed Forces.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported that “the Americans have rejected Russia’s offer to accept enriched uranium from Iran,” in an interview with India Today. He emphasized that Tehran must have the unconditional right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The volume of parallel imports to Russia has stabilized at $1-1.5 billion per month. The Ministry of Industry and Trade expects this figure to remain unchanged until the end of 2026, Minister Anton Alikhanov announced. “We are starting to produce many products in the country and are no longer interested in this uncompetitive parallel import mechanism,” he said. However, it is too early and unnecessary to abolish it completely: there are still products of interest to Russia. As Alikhanov noted, the volume of parallel imports was approximately $1 billion in January 2026.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on April 16. Ukrainian forces counted approximately 400 drones and attack missiles launched against their rear areas. Overnight, Russian forces struck Kiev, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odessa.
Overnight, Ukrainian forces sent drones to Sevastopol, Crimea, and the Krasnodar Krai. Two people were killed and five injured, destroying an apartment building. Ukrainian social media channels released footage of a fire near the tanks of the Tuapse oil refinery. Schools were closed. Drone debris also fell in several locations in the village of Loo, Sochi.
In the direction of Sumy, the Northern Group of Forces is fighting in the districts of Shostka, Sumy, and Krasnopil’s’kyi (near the village of Novodmytrivka). Ukrainian forces are deploying attack drone operators and forcibly establishing territorial defense forces in this area.
In the Belgorod region, in Yekaterinovka, Volokonovsky District. Five people were injured in separate attacks. Numerous settlements are under attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the Kharkiv sector, the Northern Group of Forces claims to have captured the village of Vovchans’ki Khutory, which has been contested for many months. Fighting continues near the state border along the Zybyne-Volokhivka-Okhrimivka line, as well as in the forested areas east of Symynivka. Tactical successes by Russian attack aircraft in the Velykyi Burluk sector are reported, diverting Ukrainian Armed Forces reserves from Kupyansk.
In the Kupyansk sector, positional battles are ongoing in the city and to the south, near Kurylivka.
In the Slovyansk sector, the battle for access to Rai-Oleksandrivka continues. Ukrainian forces are constantly engaged in counterattacks, but Russian troops have managed to stabilize the front in the Kalenyky-Kryva Luka area.
In the Kostyantynivka sector, fighting continues along the same lines. Ukrainian forces are attracting reinforcements to the town, which has been under attack by Russian drones.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the “East” group of forces continues to expand its control zone towards the village of Lisove.
In the eastern part of the Zaporizhia region, Russian troops are conducting offensive operations in the Huliaipilske and Charivne directions.
On the Zaporizhia front, trench battles are taking place near Prymors’ke and Stepnohirs’k. Previous successes of the Russian forces In this sector of the front, Ukrainian forces have been counterattacked in recent months. Ukrainian forces are targeting energy infrastructure, leaving much of the Zaporizhia region without electricity.
In the Kherson region, in the village of Vynohradivo, a drone attack on a car injured two civilians. Dozens of villages have been shelled.
Graziella Giangiulio
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