These are important events on the 1,146th day of the Russian Ukrainian War.
This is where things stand on Monday, April 14th.
Fineting
The Ukrainian air force said Russian missiles and guided bombs had once again hit the city of Smie in northeastern Ukraine. Local officials said the attack was hit on the outskirts of the city and reported no casualties. The day after a missile strike in the city killed 35 people. Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelenkie spoke at a video address every night, saying that 35 casualties from the attacks in Smee on Sunday brought 119 people injured. Forty people remained in the hospital, with 11 in serious condition. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it attacked a meeting of Ukrainian military officers in Smee on Sunday. Ukraine called the strike a deliberate attack on civilians. Regional governor Alexander Kinstein said three people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Kursk region of Russia. Ukrainian authorities held a press conference on Monday, where Chinese prisoners of war, who travelled to fight in Ukraine as mercenaries on behalf of Russia, appeared to warn others not to follow in their footsteps.
Military assistance
US President Donald Trump criticized Zelensky, hinting that Kiev had launched a war with Russia, saying Ukrainian leaders were “always trying to buy it.” “You don’t start a war with someone 20 times your size and hope that people will give you some missiles,” Trump said. Trump has also pledged to make a “very good proposal” to resolve the Russian war in Ukraine “soon.” Trump administration officials are in conflict over how they approach the conflict, Reuters reported. It suggests that Ukraine should give its territory to Russia, while others are seeking more support to Ukraine. Democrats in the US House of Representatives have introduced legislation to strengthen Ukraine’s defense. The unpublished bill provides security and reconstruction funding and imposes further sanctions on Russia. The Kremlin criticized Germany’s announcement that it would send long-range missiles to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the German Prime Minister’s position “inevitably leads to further escalation of the situation around Ukraine.” The UK has handed over $990 million to Ukraine to help buy air defenses and artillery as part of a broader $50 billion international loan program supported by frozen Russian assets. The payment is the second of three installments, the first being transferred on March 6th, with the final installments being paid next year. According to Swedish Prime Minister Wolf Christerson, NATO members are discussing civil defense spending targets and assistance in support for Ukraine. Speaking to a Stockholm reporter, Christerson said the June NATO leaders’ meeting would agree to defense spending more than 3% of GDP and will be the second target for other spending related to security and defense.
Politics and diplomacy
Zelenskyy said nearly 50 countries have sent messages of support to Ukraine following the Russian attack that hit a church that was celebrating Palm Sunday on Sunday before Easter. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sibikha said the attacks on the city of Smie and Kriviy in Moscow showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted the war to continue rather than end it. The Kremlin says it is happy to seek lasting peace that addresses what Russia calls the root cause of the conflict. The European Commission will reveal a detailed strategy to phase out Russian oil and gas imports in May after delaying the plan twice. In a announcement Monday, the committee said it will release its roadmap on May 6th. The European Union has introduced sanctions on Russian oil, but continues to import Russian gas. German courts will review the seizure of Russian “Shadow Fleet” tankers, allegedly used to avoid oil sanctions, the German finance minister said. The Panama-style ship, the event, was seized in January after it was found to be floating out of control off the German coast. Russia’s new energy strategy foresees stable crude oil production and significant growth in gas extraction by 2050 despite Western sanctions. Russia’s fossil fuel production is being used to fund an invasion of Ukraine. Russia has extended its suspension on the publication of oil and gas statistics. In other words, the country will not provide updates until April 1, 2026. Russia suspended or delayed key statistics in February 2022 since the full-scale Ukraine infringement. Yevgeny Roseman, a former MP who was friends with late opposition leader Alexy Navalny and former Mayo of Yekaterinberg, described the decision as “personal revenge” after he criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but did not leave the country.
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