Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,159.<\/b>
\nDispatches 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\u2019s 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\u2019s recent ultimatum proposing U.S. recognition of Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea has intensified the diplomatic divide within Europe, forcing European capitals to choose between Kyiv or Washington. The Trump administration\u2019s 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. Kyiv has rejected any concessions of Ukraine\u2019s territory while European officials, who have vowed to oppose any unilateral U.S. recognition of Crimea, fear that it might embolden Russian aggression in the future.
Nonetheless, despite apparently bleak diplomatic prospects for Kyiv, the U.S. will pressure Russia to recognize Ukraine\u2019s right to maintain its own military and defense industry during peace negotiations, signaling a rejection of Russia\u2019s demand for Ukraine\u2019s demilitarization.
Ukraine\u2019s efforts to restructure $2.6 billion in GDP-linked debt have hit a roadblock, as talks with major creditors, including hedge funds VR Capital and Aurelius Capital, ended without agreement. Despite a $15.5 billion IMF bailout and a prior $20 billion bond restructuring, Ukraine faces a looming payment of nearly $600 million due at the end of May. Creditors have rejected the government\u2019s proposal to swap warrants for restructured bonds or temporarily halt GDP-linked payouts, leaving Ukraine with limited options for avoiding default.
With the GDP warrants offering payouts tied to economic growth, which could rise if a ceasefire with Russia materializes, Kyiv is struggling to balance recovery efforts, satisfying investors and avoiding further strain on its war-torn economy. Ukraine\u2019s Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko has called for fair adjustments, emphasizing the warrants\u2019 incompatibility with Ukraine\u2019s post-invasion economic realities.
Additionally, Marchenko claimed that Ukraine and the U.S. will not sign a mineral agreement this week despite the progress made in recent negotiations. The deal, initially expected to be signed on April 24 following announcements by Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy, remains unfinished as legal teams complete its terms.
Explosions rocked a Russian ammunition depot in Vladimir region on April 22. The blasts, which set fire to more than 100,000 tons of shells, rockets and advanced equipment in the 51st Russian Main Missile and Artillery Directorate Arsenal\u2019s depot, caused evacuations in surrounding villages. Ukrainian officials have denied any responsibility for the incident. At present, there are no confirmed estimates of the effect of the explosions on the depot.
A car bomb near Moscow killed a 3-star Russian general on April 25. Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Maskolik, a senior officer serving on the Russian military’s General Staff, died in a blast that Russian authorities immediately blamed on Ukraine. Although Ukraine has not commented on the killing, it has taken responsibility for a similar car bombing that killed another Russian general, the chief of an unconventional weapons bureau, in December, 2014.
By Danylo Nosov, Alan Sacks<\/p>\n