Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,159.
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,159.
Trump-Zelenskyy meeting. US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Pope Francis’ funeral in Vatican City on April 26. Overnight after the meeting, Ukraine reported 149 drones launched by Russia overnight into the early hours of Sunday, April 27. The drones damaged six regions: Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Donetsk, Sumy, and Cherkasy
Russia’s Attacks on Ukraine
Donetsk region. A Russian airstrike on April 24 in the eastern city of Sloviansk killed a 72-year-old man. Later that day, Russian attacks on the city of Kostiantynivka killed two civilians and wounded two others.
At a press conference on April 24, President Zelenskyy provided South African President Cyril Ramaphosa a list of 400 children abducted by Russian troops. Zelenskyy cut short his visit to South Africa due to the large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine. The Ukrainian government alleges that the Kremlin has forcibly relocated more than 19,500 children since the onset of the war, with fewer than 1,400 of them returned so far to Ukraine.
President Trump’s recent ultimatum proposing U.S. recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea has intensified the diplomatic divide within Europe, forcing European capitals to choose between Kyiv or Washington. The Trump administration’s recently leaked draft proposal, which includes recognizing Russian sovereignty over Crimea, has raised alarm among EU leaders, who view it as a compromise of international law.
