Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 04-03-2025

RFE/RL reaches almost 50 million people in countries including Belarus, China, Iran or Russia, seeking to counter the official propaganda.

The head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said on Thursday that the US government had switched off a satellite that transmitted its Russian-language program into Russia.

The Prague-based station, founded by the United States during the Cold War to counter Soviet propaganda, has seen its funding frozen by US President Donald Trump amid a drive to slash the size of the federal government.

Washington’s call for less involvement in European defense and its decision to temporarily halt arms transfers to Kyiv have prompted concerns in Europe.

The US has reportedly signaled to Europe that it wants European nations to keep purchasing US arms and not exclude US arms makers from European tenders. 

The contradictory stance came as the Trump administration signaled reduced support for European defense, with Europe seeking to address the uncertainty via a massive defense hike – a historic €800 billion ($887 billion) – and increasing domestic arms production to bolster its collective security. 

Security remains the key trigger that will force Ukrainian women to leave the country, but they refuse to do so unless the situation severely worsens, American University Kyiv research says.

Almost 80% of Ukrainian women stayed in Ukraine despite Russia’s full-scale invasion because they wanted to be close to their families, feel a sense of belonging, and have proper housing.

Researchers from the Institute for Behavioural Studies at American University Kyiv, in their report, “What motivates women to stay in Ukraine?,” wrote that their conclusions are based on a nationwide survey of 2,018 female respondents, age 18-60. 

As of January this year, the ICPA had collected around 3,700 pieces of evidence from 16 countries for use in any potential war crimes cases against Russians over the war in Ukraine.

The United States has withdrawn from an international group collecting evidence of potential Russian war crimes in Ukraine, the head of the institution hosting it said on Thursday.

The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) had brought together investigators from several European countries and the United States, under the umbrella of EU judicial body Eurojust.

Security experts warn that China has long used “honey traps” – romantic or sexual relationships aimed at extracting intelligence by compromising US officials.

US authorities have banned government employees working in China, their family members, and contractors with security clearance from having romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens, sources told The Associated Press on Wednesday, April 2.

The ruling, which took effect in January, was introduced by the US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns before he left his post. Officials were informed through verbal briefings and emails, but the policy was not publicly announced. It remains unclear how the US government defines “romantic or sexual relations” in this context.

Hundreds of people held US and Lithuanian flags as the procession passed on an arterial avenue and cathedral bells tolled.

Hundreds of Lithuanians on Thursday paid their respects to four US soldiers who died when their vehicle sank in a peat bog at a military training ground in the Baltic state.

Three of the soldiers were found dead on Monday when rescuers recovered their M88 Hercules armored vehicle from a swamp in eastern Lithuania, where it had gone missing last week. The fourth soldier was found a day later.

Ukraine exported goods worth $900 million to the US. Trump’s tariffs will mostly hit small enterprises.

The impact of new US tariffs on Ukraine is “complicated, but not critical,” Ukraine’s Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko said. 

The US will apply a general tariff of 10% on imports from Ukraine. 

The three Sahelian countries are led by juntas who seized power in coups.

At a meeting in Moscow Thursday, Russia and a group of west African countries led by military juntas hailed growing military ties, while condemning Ukraine as a “terrorist” state.

Facing isolation in the West following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has tried to build new partnerships in Africa, where it has been growing in influence in recent years, including militarily.

“The scale of this conflict is just awe-inspiring.” – head of US European Command

Russia has lost more than 4,000 tanks during its war against Ukraine, the top US officer in Europe told American lawmakers during a Senate hearing on Thursday.

Moscow launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, hoping for a quick military victory over its smaller neighbor, but instead became bogged down in a grinding war in which Russia has suffered staggering losses.

The Heard and McDonald Islands are an Australian possession, which is also facing the same new US 10% tariffs as Canberra.

US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs that include the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands, a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean.

As Axios reports, the islands are “teeming” with colonies of seals, penguins, and other birds. The newly imposed US tariff rate on goods exported from the islands is 10%.

As America walks away from helping Ukraine, Europe is stepping up.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not attend the next top-level Ukraine support planning conference next week, a move that will leave the main Western nation forum for coordinating military and security support to Ukraine without the Pentagon’s director in attendance for the very first time, the US-based Defense News magazine reported Thursday.  

The talks planning production and delivery of arms, training, and military intelligence for Ukraine will be jointly chaired by Germany and Britain. Whether or not a low-level US Defense Department representative will be present at a scheduled April 11 gathering of senior defense officials from 50 countries in Brussels isn’t clear, the report said.

Ukraine changed its offer for UAH bonds, which did not allow it to increase the budget proceeds.

Yesterday, the MoF changed its offer for UAH bonds, which did not allow it to increase the budget proceeds.

The one-year bonds remained the same as those offered by the Ministry since January. The demand was relatively small: the Ministry received 20 bids for UAH845m. All competitive bids had rates in a very narrow range—16.3-16.35%—no higher than the cut-off rate of the previous auction. So, the Ministry satisfied all bids for this instrument.

US President Donald Trump’s broad new tariffs on imports from various countries worldwide sparked widespread criticism.

US President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs on imports to the United States from countries right across the globe drew a wave of condemnation.

Here are international reactions so far:

During a UN Security Council meeting Moscow convened on Wednesday one of Russia’s top diplomats spoke about its view that the prospect for peace in Ukraine had been sabotaged by disinformation.

Russia convened a meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) under the so-called Arria-formula – where the topic is detailed by the nation calling the assembly. It brought up the subject “Disinformation and Sabotage of Peace in Ukraine.”

The main address to the UNSC was given by the First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia’s delegation to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy. His speech – which comes across as a lecture on how Russia’s motivation, actions and accusations of war crimes following its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine have been willfully misconstrued.

Europe’s press debates how big the impact will be and how it can be countered.

US President Donald Trump has announced a massive additional package of tariffs. On top of a flat rate of 10 percent on all goods imported into the US, variable tariffs set at 20 percent for the EU and 34 percent for China will apply. Europe’s press debates how big the impact will be and how it can be countered.

Hold out and strike a deal

The government announcement to start the year-long withdrawal process came as Orban welcomed Netanyahu in the capital Budapest on his first trip to Europe since 2023.

Hungary on Thursday said it will quit the International Criminal Court, just as Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, whom the tribunal has accused of war crimes in Gaza.

The government announcement to start the year-long withdrawal process came as Orban welcomed Netanyahu in the capital Budapest on his first trip to Europe since 2023.

The US treasury secretary also claimed that the deal “is the exact same deal” despite it being different from earlier draft agreements.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a Ukrainian delegation might visit the US by the end of this week or early next week to sign the revised version of the resources deal.

After the new version began circulating in the media at the end of March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would not visit the US to sign the deal until the terms were set as they had been “constantly changing.”

Dmitriev’s visit to the US is the first by a senior Russian official since travel sanctions were imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and special representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has reportedly arrived in Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff.

According to The Washington Post (WP), which cited a source familiar with the matter, talks were “ongoing.”

Ukraine faces a new 10% “base” tariff on its goods.

President Donald Trump did not impose new tariffs on Russian or Belarusian goods because US sanctions already “preclude any meaningful trade,” White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt told Axios.

Meanwhile, Trump imposed a 10% “base” tariff on Ukraine and longtime ally, the UK.

A preliminary look at what Trump’s tariff offensive means for the world, the US and Ukraine. Asian countries hit hard. Even seals and polar bears affected.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the most sweeping tariffs of his administration so far, including levies that exceed 30% on Asian economies such as China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand.

The tariffs will be two-tiered. First, there will be a 10% baseline tariff on all countries. A higher reciprocal tariff will be charged on roughly 60 countries – those with which the US has the largest trade deficits. For instance, China’s total tariffs against the US were calculated by Trump’s team to be 67%, so the new tariffs would be half that at 34%.

Bad enough for others to be attacked by Trump’s crude tariff offensive, but for Ukraine to be dealt such a cruel blow when at war with Russia smacks of pure sadism.

Russia was absent from Trump’s list of countries facing new tariffs, yet Ukraine - an ally fighting for survival - was slapped with a 10% levy, according to a White House fact sheet. Reuters reports that Trump is frustrated with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for allegedly delaying a mineral resources deal.

The pattern of Trump’s sanctions is revealing. This appears to be economic blackmail, pressuring Zelensky to accept a lopsided deal - one that many argue would reduce Ukraine to an economic colony - after falsely accusing him of stalling negotiations.

The world in focus, as seen by Canadian leading global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw in a quick review of the biggest news in international media today.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the most sweeping tariffs of his administration so far, including levies that exceed 30% on Asian economies such as China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand. The tariffs will be two-tiered. First, there will be a 10% baseline tariff on all countries. A higher reciprocal tariff will be charged on roughly 60 countries -- those with which the U.S. has the largest trade deficits. For instance, China’s total tariffs against the U.S. were calculated to be 67%, so the new tariffs would be half that at 34%. In a media event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Trump declared it to be “Liberation Day in America,” and held up a chart with the reciprocal tariffs, including 32% on Taiwan, 24% on Japan and 25% on South Korea. Trump said Wednesday would be remembered as “the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed and the day we began to make America wealthy again.” For decades, the U.S. has been plundered by friend and foe alike, he said. “Foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories, and foreign scavengers have torn apart our once beautiful American dream,” he said. The baseline tariffs go into effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday, while the higher reciprocal tariffs go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on April 9. Many on the list were Asian economies, including Cambodia and Vietnam, which were slapped 49% and 46%, respectively - Nikkei Asia

• European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was ‘prepared to respond’ to the US president’s new 20% levy on the bloc. She said the world will “massively suffer” from the tariffs, reported the FT. While the BBC reported that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer tells business chiefs in Downing Street that “clearly there will be an economic impact” from Trump’s tariffs - but the government will respond with “cool and calm heads”.

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This is not the first Tu-22M3 to crash in Irkutsk - on August 15, 2024, another bomber of the same model went down.

A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, the type frequently used to launch Kh-22 missiles over Ukraine, crashed in Russia’s Irkutsk region on Wednesday, April 2.

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the aircraft went down in a deserted area, causing no reported damage on the ground, initially citing a technical malfunction as the cause. A search and rescue team was dispatched to evacuate the crew.

Russia struck Kryvyi Rih with a ballistic missile, killing four people and injuring 14 others in Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown.

A large-scale drone attack struck Kharkiv on the night of April 2, damaging warehouses, private homes, and traffic lights, officials said. One district was hit, but no casualties were reported.

The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office said Russian forces launched the attack using Geran-2 drones, striking the city for about an hour starting at 9:45 p.m. Spokesman Dmitry Chubenko said approximately 14 strikes were recorded in the Kyivskyi district, marking the fifth major attack on the city in a week.

Ukrainian counterintelligence and police arrested two individuals allegedly working for Russian military intelligence while they attempted to plant explosives at a police building in Lviv.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that the device, disguised as a fire extinguisher, was taken from a hidden cache based on coordinates provided by Russian handlers from the GRU.

According to SBU, one of the suspects, a 22-year-old woman from Kyiv, was recruited via Telegram looking for “easy money” and initially tasked with distributing Russian propaganda leaflets in the Ukrainian capital.

Operators from Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces revealed how they identified a weakness in Russia’s drones that allowed them to destroy the UAVs and their pilots on the ground.

Operators from Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (UUSF) tasked with detecting and intercepting Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) reported via the WU Samurai Telegram channel that they had discovered a weakness in the way Russian Molniya drones operated. This allowed them to direct attacks against the enemy operators of the drones on the ground at the same time as they were destroying the UAVs.

The story was reported in the Ukrainian Militarniy website, which said the UUSF team only shared it after their Russian counterparts worked out how the Ukrainians were doing it. Even so, they didn’t divulge the technical details of the tactic other than to say it involved bringing a “small radio reconnaissance device” close to the enemy drone, carried on their own interceptor, as it homed in on the Molniya.

The figure for the EU was 20 percent, 24 percent for Japan and 34 percent on goods from China -- bringing the new added tariff rate there to 54 percent.

US President Donald Trump intensified a global trade war Wednesday as he slapped sweeping tariffs on imports from allies and foes alike, sending markets into a tailspin and upending decades-long free trade norms.

The EU and China vowed retaliation against the levies, with Australia’s leader saying the new tariffs were “not the act of a friend” and would hurt the close allies’ relationship.