Vladimir Putin is set to send his top negotiator to Washington in a bid to win back the favour of Donald Trump, who is reportedly angry at the Russian autocrat.
Washington officials have acknowledged that Putin is resisting attempts to strike a ceasefire, and discussed what economic or diplomatic punishments could push Russia closer to a deal, the sources said.
It comes following Mr Trump’s explosive reveal that he was “p***** off” with Putin and would look to unleash oil tariffs on Russia if they did not take peace talks seriously.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s Kyiv-born and US-educated envoy, will meet with Mr Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff this week, Reuters reported.
Responding to the reports on X, Mr Dmitriev said: “The resistance to US–Russia dialogue is real—driven by entrenched interests and old narratives. But what if improved relations are exactly what the world needs for lasting global security and peace?”
On Tuesday, two senior Washington sources told Reuters that a peace deal does not seem imminent, despite US efforts.
Meanwhile, half of the US Senate - including 25 Republicans and 25 Democrats - has united to propose sanctions on Russia if it refuses to engage in good faith negotiations with Ukraine.
Watch: Trump ‘p***** off’ at Putin over disparaging Zelensky comments
Alex Croft2 April 2025 21:01
Two arrested in Russian plot to blow up Lviv police station
Two people have been arrested after allegedly plotting to blow up a police station in the western city of Lviv on Russian instructions, Ukrainian authorities said.
The suspects were carrying out the “instructions of a Russian representative in exchange for a monetary reward”, Ukrainian prosecutors said on Telegram.
They “arrived in Lviv and retrieved explosives hidden in a bag at specific coordinates”, authorities said. “The defendants were set to plant the concealed explosives in an administrative building at a Lviv police station as part of their prearranged plan.”
One of the perpetrators was a 22-year-old woman and resident of Kyiv who had been looking to ear “easy money” through Telegram channels.
After recruitment by Russian intelligence she was tasked with a "test" assignment, posting Russian propaganda leaflets around Kyiv, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Alex Croft2 April 2025 20:29
Trump must see through Putin’s stalling tactics over Ukraine ceasefire, Germany says
Donald Trump must not be misled by Vladimir Putin’s “stalling tactics” to delay peace in Ukraine, outgoing German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said during a visit to Kyiv.
"At the upcoming meeting of Nato foreign ministers, we will make it clear to the American side that we should not engage with Putin's stalling tactics," the 44-year-old Greens leader said in a statement released after her arrival in the Ukrainian capital.
Mr Putin is "feigning readiness to negotiate but is not moving one millimetre from his position", she added.
Alex Croft2 April 2025 20:00
Only international pressure can stop Putin's terror - Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russian terror can only be stopped with pressure from international partners after a missile strike on Kryvyi Rih killed four civilians.
"A targeted Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih. All necessary services are on site, working to mitigate the consequences of the shelling and to help people. Some people are wounded, and they are receiving medical assistance. As of now, it is known that, tragically, four lives were claimed by this strike, all of them civilians. My condolences to their families and loved ones," he said on Telegram.
Zelensky stressed that everywhere in the world, such strikes are called by the same name - terror.
"What separates us all from at least a complete and unconditional cessation of strikes is the lack of Russia's consent to end the war, and only the world's pressure can ensure such consent," Zelensky said.
Barney Davis2 April 2025 19:35
Mapped: Russia advance slows in Donetsk as Ukraine launches counterattacks
Alex Croft2 April 2025 19:31
Watch 'key' fighter pilot shoot down drones
Barney Davis2 April 2025 19:20
'Russia wants to continue fighting' - Putin biographer
Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer who specializes in Russia’s war strategy, told Fox New that Putin’s goal with his latest conscription drive is to prolong the war.
"There’s no ceasefire and no peace plan between Russia and Ukraine to be had," said Koffler, the author of a best-selling book "Putin’s Playbook."
"What President Trump seeks is regretfully, unachievable. Putin's goal is to keep fighting, in order to compel Ukraine to capitulate.
"Now that Germany and France are considering to deploy reassurance forces into Ukraine, Putin is factoring in those numbers, so he is increasing his force's posture, to deter such a deployment or failing to prevent it by force."
Alex Croft2 April 2025 19:00
Russia has initiated its largest military draft in 14 years ahead of possible spring offensive
Putin has called up 160,000 men as part of the country’s bi-annual conscription drive as Russia seeks to beef up its military ranks.
According to the legislation, citizens aged 18 to 30 will be called up for mandatory military service through June 15.
The spring draft marks the largest conscription campaign since spring 2011, when 200,000 men were called up for service. Last year, 150,000 men were called, following 134,500 in 2022.
Alex Croft2 April 2025 18:29
Ukrainian secret service arrest two alleged spies
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) say they have detained a man and a woman acting as spies for Russia on suspicion of attempting to carry out a bombing on a local police station office.
The 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, 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.
After completing her first “test” assignment, she was allegedly told to travel to Lviv to carry out the attack. She also recruited an acquaintance to assist her in blowing up the administrative building of the local district police department, said the SBU.
Security services say the attackers also planned to install a hidden camera to broadcast the explosion’s impact to their Russian handlers.
The SBU said it “exposed both agents in advance, documented their crimes, and detained them ‘red-handed’ as they approached the police unit with explosives.”
Both suspects have been charged with high treason under martial law, a crime punishable by life imprisonment with property confiscation.
Barney Davis2 April 2025 18:26
Fighting increases despite ceasefire talks
Despite negotiations for a ceasefire, March saw a sharp increase in combat clashes along the frontline.
The number of clashes rose from 3,274 in February to 4,270 in March, bringing the total for 2025 to 12,631 so far, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Russian forces have also significantly escalated their use of guided aerial bombs against Ukrainian positions.
In March, approximately 4,800 such munitions were deployed, an increase from 3,370 in February.
Alex Croft2 April 2025 17:58
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