Russian president Vladimir Putin has for the first time proposed direct peace talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Putin has previously claimed he would only negotiate peace with Ukraine if the country held elections to form a new government, having repeatedly made false claims that Mr Zelensky is an illegitimate leader despite his election in 2019.
The Russian autocrat has suggested face-to-face talks for the first time since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, with Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a quick ceasefire deal have failed to bear fruit.
Mr Trump said Russia and Ukraine can do “big business” with Washington if they reach a deal. "Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week," the US president wrote on Truth Social over the weekend.
It comes as representatives from Ukraine, the UK, France and the US were set to meet in London on Wednesday to continue talks on a potential ceasefire.
While Mr Zelensky did not directly respond to Mr Putin’s proposal, he emphasised in his nightly video address that Ukraine "was ready for any conversation" that would stop strikes on civilians.
“Actions always speak louder than words,” he posted on X.
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Key Points
- Putin says he is open to direct peace talks with Ukraine
- Ukraine, US, UK and France to meet for peace summit in London
- Trump ‘determined’ to form ‘close friendship’ with Putin, says former advisor
- Trump envoy Witkoff to visit Moscow this week - Russian media
- Russia recaptures monastery in Kursk from Ukraine, Tass says
Russian military progress in Ukraine slowing, says Healey
16:26
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Alex Croft
The progress of the Russian military against Ukraine has slowed down in 2025, UK defence secretary John Healey has said in a statement to the House of Commons.
“I can confirm Russian military progress is slowing,” Mr Healey said. “Putin gained less territory in March than he did in February, less territory in February than he did in January.”
“Ukrainian troops have still not been ejected from Russian territory in Kursk”, he added.
Russia broke Easter truce, Healey tells Commons
16:24
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Alex Croft
Russian forces broke the 30-hour Easter truce, UK defence secretary John Healey told the House of Commons.
Mr Healey is currently giving a statement to the Commons on the situation in Ukraine and efforts towards peace.
“Despite president Putin’s promise of a 30-hour pause in fighting, I can confirm that defence intelligence have found, and I quote, ‘no indication’ that a ceasefire on the frontline was observed over the Easter period.
“10,000 missiles and drones have been fired into Ukraine during this year alone, including from the Black Sea.”
He added: “So while has said he declared an Easter truce, he broke it. While Putin has says he wants peace, he’s rejected a full ceasefire, and while Putin says he wants to put an end to the fighting, he continues to play for time in negotiations.
“And the Russian military continue to pressure Ukraine on a number of fronts.”
Trump envoy Witkoff to visit Moscow this week - Russian media
16:21
,
Alex Croft
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Russia this week, according to Russian state media.
"We are expecting him," said Yuri Ushakov, aid to Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin, told Interfax news agency according to European Pravda.
Mr Witkoff has been to Russia three times and has met with Mr Putin amid US efforts to force a quick ceasefire in Ukraine. His next visit will take place as US, Ukraine and European countries meet in London on Thursday 23 April to discuss steps towards ending the war.
Trump wanted nothing to do with Ukraine in first administration - former adviser
15:57
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Alex Croft
Donald Trump wanted nothing to do with Ukraine during his first stint as US president from 2017 until 2021, his former adviser has said.
“Right from the very beginning, president Trump wanted nothing to do with Ukraine,” Fiona Hill, who advised on European and Russian Affairs during Mr Trump’s first stint, said.
“In his first phone call with [former German chancellor] Angela Merkel, she most famously asked him, ‘Donald, what are you going to do about Ukraine?’” Ms Hill said.
“[Trump] said, ‘No, Angela, it’s got nothing to do with me, what are you going to do about Ukraine?’
“And he’s been very consistent with his idea of trying to distance himself from the war in Ukraine, and frankly equally consistent in his desire to reset the Russian relationship with the US.”
Trump ‘determined’ to have ‘close friendship’ with Putin, says former advisor
14:58
,
Alex Croft
Donald Trump is determined to form a “close friendship” with Russian president Vladimir Putin, the US president’s former foreign policy advisor has said.
“I wouldn’t say that they’re friends but president Trump is determined to turn that relationship into a close friendship with Putin,” said Fiona Hill, who in Mr Trump’s first stint served as an advisor on European and Russian Affairs within the National Security Council.
“That has highly personalised the presidency in a way that previous presidents haven’t managed to do,” Ms Hill said, speaking to an online conference held by the Brookings Institution think tank.
“He is unbridled now in his ability to put these things into action. The first time round, he had a lot of obstacles, there was a sense that somehow the Russians had got him elected into the White House which actually wasn’t the case.
“But there was a prevailing sense, there was backlash from Congress about any kind of effort to have a rapprochement with Russia because of [alleged] Russian interference with the elections,” she added.
Spain will meet Nato spending targets to help ‘defend Europe’ - Spanish PM
14:33
,
Alex Croft
Spain will meet Nato’s spending target of 2 per cent GDP on defence this year, prime minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.
This comes far earlier than its self-imposed deadline of 2029, for a country which spent just 1.3 per cent on defence in 2024 - the lowest among Nato members.
Other European countries are under pressure from the Trump administration to lift military spending to as high as 5 per cent, with Washington reluctant to continue funding Kyiv in the war in Ukraine.
Mr Sanchez said he would meet the goal through additional spending of 10.47 billion euros (£8.98 billion), with a focus on increasing the size of its military, telecommunications, cybersecurity and procurement of military equipment.
"This plan will help us meet (the target) in record time," Mr Sanchez said. "Spain will contribute to defending Europe."
Putin claims Russia has 'positive attitude' towards peace talks
14:11
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Alex Croft
Vladimir Putin, speaking to a Russian state TV reporter, said Moscow was open to any peace initiatives and raised the prospect of direct talks with Kyiv for the first time in years.
There have been no direct talks between the two sides since the early weeks after Mr Putin ordered his forces to invade their European neighbour in February 2022.
"We have always talked about this, that we have a positive attitude towards any peace initiatives. We hope that representatives of the Kyiv regime will feel the same way," Mr Putin told state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, quoted later by Interfax news agency, told reporters: "When the president said that it was possible to discuss the issue of not striking civilian targets, including bilaterally, the president had in mind negotiations and discussions with the Ukrainian side."
Russian journalist critical of army on the run after escaping house arrest
13:55
,
Alex Croft
A Russian journalist facing up to a decade in prison for criticising the army has escaped house arrest and is wanted by police, Russian state media has reported.
Ekaterina Barabash, 63, was arrested in February on suspicion of spreading false information about the Russian military on social media.
Authorities were alerted to her disappearance on 13 April by an electronic monitoring system, AFP cited Tass state news agency as saying.
“The accused has been declared wanted,” the Moscow branch of Russia’s federal penitentiary service said according to Tass.
Barabash had been critical of the army while writing for multiple news outlets, and on Facebook accused them of having “razed whole cities to the ground”.
Criticising the army and its operations in Ukraine was made illegal shortly after Moscow’s invasion began, and authorities have launched thousands of cases against those it deemed critical.
Georgian-Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, known for his gigantic and controversial work, dies at 92
13:40
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Alex Croft
Zurab Tsereteli, a prominent Georgian-Russian sculptor known for colossal, often controversial, monuments, died early on Tuesday at 92.
His assistant Sergei Shagulashvili told Russia’s state news agency Tass that Tsereteli suffered cardiac arrest.
Tsereteli was born on January 4, 1934, in Georgia, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time, in the capital Tbilisi.
In the 1970s, Tsereteli became an art director with the Soviet Foreign Ministry, traveling the world and decorating Soviet embassies. In between, he worked on Mikhail Gorbachev’s summer house in Abkhazia.
Read the full report:
Georgian-Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, known for his gigantic and controversial work, dies at 92
In pictures: Heavy damage to Zaporizhzhia apartment building after Russian strike
13:24
,
Alex Croft
Ukraine’s Catholics express hurt over late pope’s war stance
13:10
,
Alex Croft
Worshippers coming out of a Catholic church service in the Ukrainian city of Lviv yesterday expressed sorrow at the death of Pope Francis, but also lingering hurt that the Roman Catholic pontiff had not taken Ukraine's side in its war with Russia.
The pontiff was quoted as saying in a 2024 interview with a Swiss broadcaster that Ukraine should have "the courage of the white flag", and sue for peace to end the conflict with Russia.
Those comments differed sharply from the view held by Ukraine's government, and its Western allies, that they have a moral imperative to defeat an unjust and unprovoked invasion by Russia.
"There were certain subjective judgments from his side, unfortunately," said Andriy Ben, a former fighter in the Ukrainian military, referring to Pope Francis.
"I am not going to comment on this," he said outside the church in Lviv. "I hope that the next pope will be wiser, more enlightened, and better."
Another worshipper coming out of the church, 57-year-old Oleh Yakymiak, said the late pontiff did much in his life that was good.
"We understand that the good things he did are so much bigger than the painful thing he did to us," said Mr Yakymiak.
Full report: Russian drones batter Ukraine's Odesa as peace talks come to a crux
12:55
,
Alex Croft
Russian drones battered the Ukrainian port city of Odesa in a nighttime attack, local authorities said Tuesday, less than 24 hours after a purported Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by Moscow ended and just over a day before Ukrainian, British, French and U.S. officials are due to meet in London to discuss the war.
Anticipation is building over whether diplomatic efforts can stop more than three years of fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
Trump said last week negotiations were “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding war.
Read the full report:
Starmer praises 'resilience' of Ukrainians
12:38
,
Alex Croft
Sir Keir Starmer praised the “resilience” of Ukrainians as he addressed personnel taking part in Operation Interflex.
Addressing Ukrainians taking part in the programme to train troops, the Prime Minister thanked them for attending and said it is “incredible to see the resilience and inspiration that you have” as they head to the Russian front line.
Sir Keir thanked them for taking part in the training, and added: “I don’t think it could come at a more important point.
“I think it’s incredible that all of the predictions at the beginning of this conflict were that the aggressor Russia would succeed very quickly, and they didn’t.
“Because of the resilience of the Ukrainians, because as you fought back and forth for your country and fought for all of us in fighting for your country.”
'Humbling' to see training of Ukrainian troops by British forces - Starmer
12:25
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Alex Croft
Sir Keir Starmer has said it is “incredibly humbling” to see the training being provided by British personnel and other allies to Ukrainian troops.
Addressing personnel taking part in Operation Interflex alongside New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Tuesday, Sir Keir said: “This is the second time I’ve come to see this training for the frontline in Ukraine, and just as with the first time, I find it incredibly humbling to see the training that is being done here.”
Interflex is the British-led operation to train and support Ukraine’s armed forces.
“The number of countries that are coming together – including obviously, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia – many other countries here coming together to do vital training with our Ukrainian friends and colleagues and allies,” Sir Keir added.
“It’s really humbling, it’s incredibly professional. It could not be more important three years into this conflict, and it’s so important in terms of the training that’s being done.”
He said that he had seen training work on clearing mines, and reflected on a recent visit to Ukraine adding: “Only a few weeks ago, I was in Kyiv – I was in the burns unit of a major hospital in Kyiv – and I saw some of those returning from the front line who got blast injuries.”
Pensioner killed and 22 injured in Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia
12:13
,
Alex Croft
Russia killed at least one person and injured at least 22, including three children, in an attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday, the region’s governor said.
The city was attacked at around 11:40am (09:40am BST) with two KAB bombs, one of which hit a multi-storey residential building, governor Ivan Fedorov said.
A 69-year-old woman was killed in the attack, which set cars ablaze and caused significant damage to the residential building.
Zaporizhzhia, which lies near the frontline with Russia, is regularly targeted by Russian forces, which use the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - the biggest in Europe - as a screen from which to shell the nearby city.
Ukrainian gas company loses nearly 50% production due to Russian attacks
11:50
,
Alex Croft
Ukrgasvydobuvannya, Ukraine's largest gas producer and part of the state Naftogaz Group, lost nearly 50 per cent of its gas production last winter due to Russina attacks, the company reported on Monday.
Moscow’s forces attacked 34 facilities belonging to the country as part of a wideapread policy of destroying Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Since Kyiv and Moscow agree with US president Donald Trump to halt such attacks, both sides have accused the other of breaching the moratorium.
The company raised more than five billion Ukrainian hryvnia (£91.2 million) in donor aid to avoid collapse, the Kyiv Independent reported.
In pictures: Residents clean up in Odesa after Russian strikes
11:25
,
Alex Croft
Russian forces take village in eastern Donetsk region, says Defence Ministry
11:10
,
Alex Croft
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that its forces had taken the village of Sukha Balka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Authoritative Ukrainian online battlefield map DeepState shows that Russian forces were advancing on - and entering in parts - the village as of Monday.
Talks will only go ahead if obstacles removed, says Kremlin
10:58
,
Alex Croft
There are no concrete plans for talks between Russia and Ukraine, but such contacts are possible if Kyiv removes certain obstacles to peace, the Kremlin has said.
Moscow has repeatedly said it will only engage in talks when some of its demands are met - but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not specify which obstacles Russia was referring to.
Donald Trump pushes for Russia-Ukraine peace deal 'next week' - ICYMI
10:47
,
Alex Croft
Russia and Ukraine will “hopefully” reach a peace deal this week, Donald Trump said over the weekend, promising “big business” with the US if they succeed.
Taking to Truth Social, the US president made the comments shortly after threatening to pull US support from the peace process altogether if Kyiv or Moscow stalled negotiations.
"Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week," Mr Trump wrote on Sunday.
"Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune."
Russian hybrid attacks on Europe increasing, says Dutch intelligence
10:20
,
Alex Croft
Russia is increasing its hybrid attacks on European countries, Dutch military intelligence has said.
Hackers in Russia have already targeted the Dutch public service, the MIVD agency added.
"The conflict in the grey zone between war and peace has become a reality. More and more, state actors try to undermine our society with hybrid attacks. Russia especially... is increasingly prepared to take risks," MIVD director Peter Reesink said in the agency's annual report.
MIVD detected for the first time an attack by Russian hackers against the digital operating system of an unspecified Dutch public service last year. It also found a Russian cyber operation against critical infrastructure in the Netherlands, possibly as preparation for sabotage.
Hybrid threats span from physical sabotage of critical infrastructure to disinformation campaigns.
UK and New Zealand to pursue stronger defence ties and boost support for Ukraine
10:06
,
Alex Croft
Sir Keir Starmer will aim to strengthen the UK’s defence ties with New Zealand as he hosts the country’s prime minister on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister and his counterpart, Christopher Luxon, are expected to visit a military base to see British and New Zealand personnel train Ukrainian troops as part of the UK’s Operation Interflex.
More than 54,000 Ukrainians have already received training under Operation Interflex, and Mr Luxon is expected to confirm on Tuesday that New Zealand will extend its support for the programme to the end of the year.
Read more:
Kremlin considers reviving plans for new Trump Tower in Moscow
09:49
,
Alex Croft
Russian officials are considering reviving plans for a Trump Tower in Moscow to help boost relations with Donald Trump, the Moscow Times reported on April 21.
Kremlin officials considered proposing a “big deal” reportedly including a 150-storey skyscraper, which would involve Mr Trump attending the ceremony in Moscow, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Since Mr Trump’s election, Russian officials and companies have been tasked with developing proposals to resume cooperation with Washington. Rosneft, Rosatom and Polyus Gold, all Russian companies currently under US sanctions, have been involved in the plans to persuade Mr Trump to cooperate with Russia.
Two injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv
09:30
,
Alex Croft
Two people were injured after a Russian attack on the Kharkiv region with a guided aerial bomb, regional authorities said.
Russian forces hit the village of Horokhovatka in the northeastern region, Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the region’s military administration, said.
The attack damaged more than 10 residential properties, shops and a post office, injuring a 55-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
“The investigators reported that the Russian armed forces conducted an airstrike on the village of Horokhovatka, Izium district, at about 04:40 on 22 April. The guided aerial bomb hit a residential area, and four houses caught fire,” authorities said.
Watch: Putin pays tribute to Pope Francis
09:13
,
Alex Croft
Europe has expressed red lines over Ukraine to US, French foreign minister says
09:01
,
Alex Croft
Europe last week expressed its red lines over Ukraine to Washington, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said, ahead of a fresh round of discussions in London on Wednesday.
Speaking to francinfo radio, Mr Barrot added that Vladimir Putin’s Easter truce in Ukraine was a marketing operation aimed at stopping Donald Trump becoming impatient with him over failed efforts to reach a quick ceasefire.
Zelensky to attend Pope Francis' funeral
08:48
,
Alex Croft
Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Italy to attend Pope Francis’ funeral, a source in Ukraine’s presidential office told Reuters on Tuesday.
US president Donald Trump will also attend the funeral.
The 88-year-old pontiff died following a stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure, the Vatican announced on Monday.
In pictures: Fire rages after Russian attack on northeastern Sumy region
08:31
,
Alex Croft
Russian journalist critical of army on the run after escaping house arrest
08:21
,
Alex Croft
A Russian journalist facing up to a decade in prison for criticising the army has escaped house arrest and is wanted by police, Russian state media has reported.
Ekaterina Barabash, 63, was arrested in February on suspicion of spreading false information about the Russian military on social media.
Authorities were alerted to her disappearance on 13 April by an electronic monitoring system, AFP cited Tass state news agency as saying.
“The accused has been declared wanted,” the Moscow branch of Russia’s federal penitentiary service said according to Tass.
Barabash had been critical of the army while writing for multiple news outlets, and on Facebook accused them of having “razed whole cities to the ground”.
Criticising the army and its operations in Ukraine was made illegal shortly after Moscow’s invasion began, and authorities have launched thousands of cases against those it deemed critical.
Russia launches 54 drones overnight, Ukrainian air force says
08:06
,
Alex Croft
Russia launched 54 drones at Ukrainian air defences in an overnight attack on Tuesday, Kyiv’s air force said.
A total of 38 drones were shot down and another 16 did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures.
Russia recaptures monastery in Kursk from Ukraine, Tass says
07:48
,
Namita Singh
Russian forces have retaken a monastery in Russia's Kursk region where Ukrainian troops had been holed up, state media reported on Tuesday.
Tass news agency quoted a security source as saying Russian forces had captured the St Nicholas Belogorsky monastery in the village of Gornal.
The claim has not yet been independently verified, and Ukraine is yet to comment.
A Russian military Telegram channel said Ukraine had deployed troops, artillery and drone launchers at the historic site, which it said Russia had retaken after 10 days of fierce fighting.
Russia is close to expelling the last Ukrainian troops from Kursk region, where they smashed across the border in a shock incursion last August.
Moscow responded by sending in heavy reinforcements, including soldiers from its ally North Korea.
Russian forces stage mass drone attack on Ukraine’s Odesa, governor says
07:38
,
Namita Singh
Russian forces launched a mass overnight drone attack on residential areas of Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, triggering fires and damaging many apartments, local officials said early this morning.
"The enemy targeted a residential area in a densely populated district of Odesa," mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He posted pictures of a fire blazing out of control and apartment buildings with windows smashed and facades damaged.
Regional governor Oleh Kiper said the attack damaged dwellings, civilian infrastructure, an educational institution and vehicles.
Emergency crews had been dispatched to the affected areas and information on casualties was being clarified, Kiper said.
Odesa, with its three ports, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks in the more than three-year-old conflict with Russia.
Kremlin 'considered plans' to revive Moscow Trump Tower
07:26
,
Namita Singh
Russian officials discussed reviving proposals for the construction of a Trump Tower in Moscow as part of their bid to entice Donald Trump to reset ties between the two countries, according to a report in the Moscow Times citing Kremlin officials.
The “big deal” involving Mr Trump would also include inviting him to attend the ground-breaking ceremony in Moscow, the report said.
It is unclear where the proposal stands now, according to the Kyiv Independent. The reports came as Mr Trump said he would reveal his peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war later this week.
Russia’s air defence units destroy 10 Ukrainian drones overnight
06:51
,
Namita Singh
Russia's air defence units destroyed 10 Ukrainian drones overnight, downing half of them over the Crimean Peninsula, RIA news agency reported on Tuesday citing Russian defence ministry data.
Trump to reveal proposed peace plan in 'next three days'
06:33
,
Namita Singh
US president Donald Trump says he will reveal his proposed peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war later this week.
“I will be giving you a full detail over the next three days,” Mr Trump told reporters. “But we had very good meetings on Ukraine, Russia … We’ll see how that works.”
Among the terms included are a deployment of European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, reported the New York Post citing a senior official from the Trump administration.
“The hard part is what does a security force look like – we’re calling that a ‘resiliency force,'” the official said.
Ukraine’s Catholics express hurt over late pope’s war stance
06:28
,
Namita Singh
Worshippers coming out of a Catholic church service in the Ukrainian city of Lviv yesterday expressed sorrow at the death of Pope Francis, but also lingering hurt that the Roman Catholic pontiff had not taken Ukraine's side in its war with Russia.
The pontiff was quoted as saying in a 2024 interview with a Swiss broadcaster that Ukraine should have "the courage of the white flag", and sue for peace to end the conflict with Russia.
Those comments differed sharply from the view held by Ukraine's government, and its Western allies, that they have a moral imperative to defeat an unjust and unprovoked invasion by Russia.
"There were certain subjective judgments from his side, unfortunately," said Andriy Ben, a former fighter in the Ukrainian military, referring to Pope Francis.
"I am not going to comment on this," he said outside the church in Lviv. "I hope that the next pope will be wiser, more enlightened, and better."
Another worshipper coming out of the church, 57-year-old Oleh Yakymiak, said the late pontiff did much in his life that was good.
"We understand that the good things he did are so much bigger than the painful thing he did to us," said Mr Yakymiak.
US likely to meet Ukrainian officials in London for peace talks
06:04
,
Namita Singh
US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg are likely to meet with their Ukrainian counterparts in London on Wednesday, as part of peace talks alongside European allies.
The meeting comes amid growing impatience from US president Donald Trump to find a quick end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
