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Ukraine has denied Russian president Vladimir Putin’s claim that his forces have regained full control of the border region of Kursk, insisting that fighting is still ongoing.
“The Kyiv regime’s adventure has completely failed,” Mr Putin said on Saturday, congratulating Russian troops on what he described as a victory over Ukraine’s surprise offensive.
However, Ukraine’s military called the Russian claim “propaganda tricks”. “The operational situation is difficult, but our units continue to hold their positions and perform their assigned tasks,” it said.
Ukraine’s military reported six combat engagements in Kursk on Saturday, saying at least one fight was still ongoing as of 4pm Kyiv time (1pm GMT), as it accused Russia of carrying out nearly 150 artillery strikes throughout the day.
Meanwhile, Russia’s FSB said it had detained a man allegedly involved in the car bomb killing of a senior general near Moscow – a blast it blamed on Ukraine, though Kyiv has not responded.
On Saturday, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky sat down in the Vatican following Pope Francis’ funeral, their first face-to-face meeting since a clash in the Oval Office, to discuss a possible ceasefire. The White House described the meeting as “very productive”.
Ukrainian officials are said to have been shocked by a US proposal for a ceasefire deal with Russia that included formal recognition of Moscow’s authority over Crimea.
While Kyiv expects to have to concede territory to Russia, at least temporarily, in the terms of any truce, the idea of a legal or formal surrender of Crimea – which Vladimir Putin annexed illegally in 2014 – would be impossible, officials say.
According to experts, it would require a change to the Ukrainian constitution and a nationwide vote, and it could be considered treason. Lawmakers and the public are firmly opposed to the idea.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Oleksandr Merezkho, a lawmaker with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s party, told the Associated Press in Kyiv. “We will never recognise Crimea as part of Russia.”
FILE – Flames and smoke rise from a bridge connecting Crimea and Russia in Kerch, on the Crimean peninsula, Oct 8, 2022 (AP)
Zelensky has said negotiations over occupied Ukrainian territory will be drawn out and will not likely occur until a ceasefire is in place. In late March, he told reporters after a call with Donald Trump that the US president “clearly understands that legally we will not recognise any territories.”
He said giving up territory would be “the most difficult question” and “a big challenge for us.”
Formal recognition of Crimea would also amount to political suicide for Zelensky. It could expose him to legal action in the future, said Tymofiy Mylovanov, president of the Kyiv School of Economics and a former economics minister. Signing a potentially unconstitutional document could be interpreted as high treason, Mylovanov said.
“That’s why Russia is pushing it, because they know it’s impossible to achieve,” Mylovanov said.
Adam Withnall27 April 2025 06:57
Donald Trump is taking a harder line on Vladimir Putin, doubting the Russian leader’s willingness to end his war on Ukraine after meeting with the Ukrainian president and European leaders at Pope Francis’ funeral.
The US president specifically called out the Russian leader for the continued bombing of civilian areas of Ukraine.
Stuti Mishra27 April 2025 06:15
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US president Donald Trump held a face-to-face meeting on Saturday at Pope Francis’ funeral, the first time since their Oval Office shouting match.
Mr Zelensky said the meeting had the “potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results”, while the White House described the talks as “very productive.”
After the meeting, Mr Trump said he was considering imposing secondary sanctions on Russia and increasing banking restrictions to pressure Moscow.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky (R) meets with US President Donald Trump (L) on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral at St Peter’s Basilica at The Vatican (UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY/AFP v)
Stuti Mishra27 April 2025 05:55
Russia’s security service says it has arrested a man accused of killing a senior general in a car bombing outside Moscow.
The FSB alleges the suspect, named as Ignat Kuzin, rigged a Volkswagen Golf in the city of Balashikha with a homemade explosive sourced from a Ukrainian secret service stash and detonated it remotely from Ukraine.
The blast killed Gen Yaroslav Moskalik on Friday outside Moscow. Ukraine has not commented on the incident. Russian authorities released a video purporting to show Kuzin’s arrest on a forest road.
Stuti Mishra27 April 2025 05:32
Ukraine has denied Russian president Vladimir Putin’s claim that his forces have regained full control of the border region of Kursk, insisting that fighting is still ongoing.
“The Kyiv regime’s adventure has completely failed,” Mr Putin said on Saturday, congratulating Russian troops on what he described as a decisive victory over Ukraine’s surprise offensive launched last year. He claimed Russian forces had reestablished complete control over the region.
However, Ukraine’s Armed Forces rejected the statement, accusing Moscow of spreading “propaganda tricks.”
In a post on Telegram, it said: “The defensive operation of the Ukrainian Defence Forces in the designated areas in Kursk region continues. The operational situation is difficult, but our units continue to hold their positions and perform their assigned tasks.”
Ukraine’s military reported six combat engagements in the Kursk region on Saturday, saying at least one battle was still ongoing as of 4pm Kyiv time (1pm GMT). It also accused Russian forces of carrying out nearly 150 artillery strikes across the day.
Stuti Mishra27 April 2025 05:15