Just a day after King Charles III gave a solidarity speech with Ukraine in the US Congress, a phone call from Moscow reached US President Donald Trump.
And it went the way perhaps many would’ve expected – Trump told Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin he talked about Ukraine with Charles but did not agree on everything, later said he asked Russia for a “little ceasefire,” and claimed Putin is ready for a deal but “someone” was in the way. The Kremlin also confirmed that it conveyed the V-Day ceasefire proposal to Trump.
But Kyiv is not entirely convinced, considering how well (poorly) the May 9 ceasefire worked out last year, later saying it’s clarifying the terms with Washington.
Trump also lambasts Germany for focusing on Ukraine instead of Iran and threatens US troop withdrawals – which is ironic, considering how Iran is unlikely to stand without Moscow’s backing.
Some funding at least?
But at least Uncle Sam finally released some funding for Kyiv after they’ve been collecting dust for months: $100 million to help fix the Chornobyl confinement, and $400 million in military aid approved months ago.
But at the same time, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also stonewalled his way through a congressional testimony on the $1.5 trillion funding request, dodging questions on Ukraine when he could and lying when he couldn’t – we did a fact check.
Amid Ukraine’s rising inflation and the Central Bank’s downward revision to its GDP forecast, we also spoke with Alfred Kammer, the director of the European Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), who discussed the global outlook and the reforms needed in Ukraine to unlock IMF funding.
In a bid to curb Moscow’s income, Ukraine also announced a new list of sanctioned entities that includes Belarusian ones, while Sweden seized a sanctioned ship suspected of carrying stolen Ukrainian grain. At the same time, some relief for Ukrainians also comes in the form of a convention to address damages caused by Russia’s invasion.
Otherwise, Kyiv now claimed a diplomatic victory in the dispute with Israel over a ship said to be docked there with stolen grain, while the Mindich scandal continues to simmer as anti-graft watchdogs under the defense ministry now call for the removal of former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov from his current post as the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (RNBO) – that said, a lot of details remain unconfirmed, so we are keeping an eye on the developments.
Ukraine war updates – Odesa hit again, but so’s Perm and the boats guarding Kerch bridge
Southern Ukraine’s Odesa was hit hard overnight, with two waves of attacks pounding the coastal city. On the other hand, Russia’s Perm in the Ural mountains was also struck for the second time within 24 hours, which is significant considering its distance from Ukraine.
The Ukrainian navy also said it struck the Russian boats guarding the Kerch bridge. In addition, Ukraine’s drone forces also said they hit Mi-28 and Mi-17 helicopters in Russia’s Voronezh region.
And to wrap it up, we have an exclusive interview with the commander of the Latvian Armed Forces on how the Baltic states see the Russian threats – and potential lessons from Ukraine.
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