On day 1,133 of Russia’s war on Ukraine, key events unfolded. Ukraine’s Air Force reported a night free of Russian drone attacks, with only two cruise missiles launched and shot down. Russian forces took control of the village of Rozlyv in Donetsk, leading to ongoing battles. Ukrainian officials reported casualties and damage from Russian shelling in various regions.
Russian advances were reported near Rozlyv and Toretsk, while Ukraine’s Foreign Minister highlighted the impact of Russian strikes on power facilities in Kherson. Ceasefire negotiations between the US and Russia faced challenges, with European support for Ukraine deemed crucial. Discussions on new strategies to pressure Kyiv and Moscow were underway in the US administration.
In terms of aid, Ukraine received financial support from the EU, while President Zelenskyy hoped for approval of Taurus cruise missiles from Germany’s presumptive next chancellor. Sanctions on Russia were proposed by bipartisan US senators if negotiations for peace were not pursued in good faith.
Regional security concerns were raised, with Poland charging a Ukrainian citizen with working for Russian intelligence and Sweden investing in civil defence shelters. Finland planned to withdraw from the antipersonnel mines treaty, while France announced the delivery of Mistral missiles to Denmark.
Lastly, the UK government introduced a new requirement for anyone working for the Russian state to register on a list or face jail time starting in July. Menteri Keamanan Negara UK Dan Jarvis mengatakan kepada parlemen bahwa Rusia akan tunduk pada pembatasan paling ketat dari Skema Pendaftaran Pengaruh Asing.
Diplomasi
Presiden Tiongkok Xi Jinping akan menjadi tamu kehormatan saat Rusia memperingati ulang tahun ke-80 berakhirnya Perang Dunia II dengan parade Kemenangan tahunan di Lapangan Merah Moskow pada 9 Mei, kata Putin. Putin menerima pemimpin yang dicari dari etnis Serbia Bosnia, Milorad Dodik, di Kremlin, sehari setelah Dodik mengumumkan kunjungan ke Moskow.
Menteri Luar Negeri Rusia Sergey Lavrov membahas dengan rekan sejawatnya dari Tiongkok, Wang Yi, situasi di Semenanjung Korea, program nuklir Iran, keadaan di Asia Tengah, serta konflik di Ukraina dan perlunya kesepakatan perdamaian yang langgeng, kata Kementerian Luar Negeri di Moskow. Duta besar baru Prancis untuk Rusia tiba di Moskow, beberapa bulan setelah pendahulunya pergi, karena ketegangan antara Paris dan Kremlin tetap tinggi terkait Ukraina. Pejabat senior Rusia Kirill Dmitriev diharapkan mengunjungi Washington, DC, pekan ini dan akan bertemu dengan Steve Witkoff, pejabat pemerintahan Trump, untuk pembicaraan tentang penguatan hubungan antara kedua negara saat mereka berupaya mengakhiri perang di Ukraina. Ukraina mengatakan bahwa Kyiv dan Washington sedang melakukan pembicaraan baru tentang kesepakatan yang akan memberikan akses AS ke sumber daya alam Ukraina sebagai imbalan atas dukungan lebih banyak.