ARTICLE AD BOX
Volodymyr Zelensky says negotiators from the US and Ukraine have made “good progress” on a minerals deal, with the talks progressing fast.
“The basic legal stuff is almost finalised, and then, if everything moves as quickly and constructively, the agreement will bring economic results to both our countries,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
Officials said the breakthrough came with a fresh draft that appeared not to recognise previous US military aid as a debt owed by Ukraine.
Donald Trump is seeking a deal that would secure American access to Ukrainian natural resources, framing it as part of talks to end the war but also as recompense for the billions the US has spent on military assistance to the invaded country.
While those talks progress, Mr Trump has dispatched his peace envoy Steve Witkoff and secretary of state Marco Rubio to Paris for talks on Ukraine’s future with European counterparts.
On the battlefield, Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a mass drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Wednesday, killing at least two people and injuring 16 others, as Russia continued its relentless aerial bombardment of Ukraine.
Putin compares Elon Musk to Soviet space hero
Vladimir Putin has drawn a parallel between Elon Musk and a key figure in the Soviet space race, Sergei Korolev, praising the SpaceX founder as a visionary.
Speaking on Russia's space policy at a student meeting, Mr Putin reportedly described Musk, a key adviser of president Donald Trump, as "absolutely crazy about Mars," according to state news agency TASS.
Mr Putin reportedly invoked the legacy of Korolev, the engineer behind Yuri Gagarin's historic 1961 spaceflight, to highlight the rarity of people like Musk.
TASS quoted Mr Putin as saying: "Such people rarely appear in the human population, charged with a certain idea.”
Arpan Rai17 April 2025 06:13
Kyiv says Ukraine and US make 'substantial progress' on minerals deal
Ukraine and the US have made "substantial progress" in their talks on a minerals deal and will sign a memorandum in the near future, a senior Ukrainian official said.
"Our technical teams have worked very thoroughly together on the agreement, and there is significant progress. Our legal staff has adjusted several items within the draft agreement," first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a social media post on X.
Donald Trump is seeking a bilateral minerals deal as part of his push to end Ukraine's war against the Russian invasion. Mr Trump also sees it as a way to recover billions of dollars the US has spent on military assistance to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine would not recognise past US military aid as loans.
Ms Svyrydenko said the work on the deal would continue and that both sides agreed to sign a memorandum in the near term as the first stage to record the progress.
The talks are advancing and it was likely a provisional document, or memorandum, could be signed very soon, deputy Ukrainian economy minister Taras Kachka told national television.
"A final document won't be signed this week. There is a lot of work to be done because the ideas included in the agreement by the US side need to be developed further," Mr Kachka said.
Arpan Rai17 April 2025 05:52
How residents of Ukraine’s Sumy are rebuilding after the deadliest Russian attack this year
Just days ago, Putin’s forces targeted the city centre in back-to-back missile strikes, killing 35 people and injuring over 100. It marked the deadliest attack on Ukrainian civilians this year.
Neighbours chatted in their apartment blocks, watching children play games in the courtyards. Pausing to look up, they would see the buzzing of attack drones and the familiar sounds of Ukrainian air defences before going back to their strange routine which is quickly becoming usual.
Arpan Rai17 April 2025 05:47
Zelensky holds 'honest' conversation with Finnish president
Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed “next steps” in response to possible “Russian provocations” with president of Finland Alexander Stubb.
“We discussed many issues, including preparations for our next joint steps and our response to possible Russian provocations in the near future,” Mr Zelensky said.
In a post on X, Mr Zelensky said the two leaders spoke about the battlefield situation and need for air defence systems.
“I informed about the battlefield situation and our need for air defense systems. We will achieve a just and sustainable peace when Ukraine receives strong support packages, and Russia faces strong sanctions in response to further dragging this war on,” he said.
Arpan Rai17 April 2025 05:42
Kremlin says no timeline for peace but political will is there
The Kremlin has said there is not yet a clear outline of a potential US-Russia deal on Ukraine, but it has the political will to move towards on an agreement.
"There are no clear outlines of any agreement yet, but there is political will to move towards an agreement. And I repeat once again, we highly highly rate the constructive and meaningful contacts that we have had (with the US)," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in a call with reporters on Tuesday.
He said the talks with the US had been positive and useful Moscow would not give a possible timeline for a peace settlement.
"Nevertheless, of course we would like to hope for the best, that the work will have positive results. We would not say exactly what the timeframe is here," said Mr Peskov.
Arpan Rai17 April 2025 05:35
Germany plans to send missiles to Ukraine
Germany is relying on British endorsements to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, a member of Berlin’s incoming government has warned.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a senior Christian Democrats (CDU) MP, said in-fighting between his party and its coalition partner, the centre-Left Social Democrats (SPD), was preventing a final decision by Friedrich Merz, the chancellor-in-waiting.
But he suggested that “UK leadership” could give Mr Merz the support he needs to deliver the powerful missile system, The Telegraph reported.
“The Taurus delivery remains a point of contention for the time being ... I do not yet see any consensus here, especially as the parties have not agreed on the key security policy issues in the coalition agreement,” Mr Kiesewetter said.
“I don’t yet see the Taurus being delivered. Any influence by UK leadership to finally convince Germany to deliver Taurus might help and is highly welcomed,” he added.
Arpan Rai17 April 2025 05:17
Report identifies almost 102,000 Russian soldiers as killed in Ukraine war
An independent Russian media outlet claims to have identified 101,833 Russian military personnel killed in the course of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The investigation conducted by Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, found that 4,897 Russian officers have been killed in the invasion.
More than 24,800 volunteers were among those identified, accounting for 24.3 per cent of the total Russian losses.
Mediazona has been running an ongoing investigation tracking the identities of Russians killed in the war, as well as broader estimates of casualties – including those wounded or missing.
Since its last update, it said 1,882 additional Russian military personnel have been killed.
Arpan Rai17 April 2025 05:00
Trump sends top envoys for Ukraine talks with European officials in Paris
Donald Trump has dispatched his peace envoy Steve Witkoff and secretary of state Marco Rubio to Paris for talks on Ukraine’s future with European partners.
This is the first time the US president has made an effort to reach out to European leaders after excluding them from the initial rounds of peace talks on Ukraine.
"Secretary of state Marco Rubio and ambassador Steve Witkoff will travel to Paris, France, 16-18 April for talks with European counterparts to advance President Trump's goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war and stop the bloodshed," the state department said.
The visit is also aimed at improving Mr Trump’s ties with the US's EU allies.
"While in Paris, he will also discuss ways to advance shared interests in the region,” the statement added.
Arpan Rai17 April 2025 04:42
Mass drone attack kills two and injures at least 16 in Dnipro
A Russian mass drone attack has killed two people and injured at least 16 yesterday in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the regional governor said.
A young woman and an elderly woman had been killed, said Serhiy Lysak, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region.
Mr Lysak said 16 people had been injured, including three children, aged 11, six years old, and nine months. Five people were being treated in hospital.
Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov put the number of injured at 28.
The attack triggered several fires.
Mr Filatov said one strike came within 100 metres (110 yards) of the municipal offices. He also said at least 15 dwellings had been damaged, as well as a student residence, an educational institution and a food processing plant.
Arpan Rai17 April 2025 04:14
Kamikaze drones spark fires in Dnipropetrovsk
Russian forces used heavy artillery and kamikaze drones to strike Dnipropetrovsk all through Wednesday.
Serhii Lysak, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, said on Telegram: “Throughout the day, the aggressor launched nine kamikaze drone strikes at Nikopol district.
“The region was also shelled with heavy artillery. Nikopol, Marhanets, and Pokrovsk communities were hit.”
In one nine-story residential building, a fire broke out in an apartment. Other homes suffered broken windows, according to Lysak.
He also reported that municipal infrastructure and vehicles were damaged.
Arpan Rai17 April 2025 04:12
English (US) ·