US and Ukraine Sign Crucial Minerals Agreement Amid Moscow’s Rejection of Ceasefire, North Korean Losses Mount, and Russian Forces Capture Nove in Eastern Ukraine as Zelensky Warns of Potential Russian Aggression from Belarus
Summary of the Day – April 30, 2025
As diplomatic efforts falter, Ukraine and the US signed a minerals agreement establishing a joint reconstruction fund—a signal of “commitment to a free Ukraine” according to Treasury Secretary Bessent. On the battlefield, Russian forces captured Nove in Donetsk Oblast while Ukraine ordered evacuations of seven villages in Dnipropetrovsk as Russian troops attempt to reach the region’s border. Russian drone attacks killed three and injured 70 across Ukraine, with 47 wounded in Kharkiv alone. President Zelensky warned of potential Russian aggression from Belarus during upcoming military exercises. South Korean intelligence revealed 600 North Korean soldiers have died fighting for Russia. EU’s Kaja Kallas firmly stated Europe would never recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, developing a “plan B” should US abandon sanctions.
After months of negotiations that were nearly derailed by February’s infamous White House confrontation between Presidents Zelensky and Trump, Ukraine and the United States finally signed a framework agreement creating a joint investment fund to support Ukraine’s reconstruction. First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko traveled to Washington to finalize the deal with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, following last-minute tensions over the agreement’s specific terms.
First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and other officials at the signing of a critical minerals agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. in Washington, D.C. (Yulia Svyrydenko / X)
The “Reconstruction Investment Fund” will be jointly managed in equal partnership, with both governments contributing resources. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal emphasized that Ukraine retains “full control over subsoil, infrastructure, and natural resources,” while the US committed to helping attract additional investments and technologies.
“This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Bessent stated, adding that “no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine” would benefit from Ukraine’s reconstruction.
According to Svyrydenko, the fund will be supplied with 50% of revenues from newly issued licenses for critical materials and oil and gas projects, while existing projects and budgeted revenues are excluded. She confirmed that Ukraine’s state-owned enterprises such as Energoatom and Ukrnafta would remain under state ownership, and the agreement respects Ukraine’s Constitution and European Union integration path.
Russian Forces Capture Nove as Offensive Operations Intensify Despite “Peace Push”
Russian forces captured the village of Nove in eastern Donetsk Oblast, according to geolocated footage showing Russian troops waving flags in the settlement’s western and central areas. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the capture of this strategic location northeast of Lyman, which Ukraine had retaken during its 2022 counteroffensive.
“As a result of active offensive operations, units of the Western military group liberated the settlement of Novoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” Russia’s Ministry of Defense wrote on Telegram, using the Russian name for the village.
Additional geolocated footage indicated Russian advances in eastern Lypove (west of Nove) and east of Katerynivka. Russian milbloggers claimed further advances southwest of Nove and northeast of Zelena Dolyna, though these reports remain unconfirmed.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky acknowledged the intensification of Russian operations despite Moscow’s proposed May 8-10 “humanitarian” ceasefire: “Despite loud statements about their readiness to cease fire for the May holidays, the occupiers have significantly increased the intensity of hostilities, focusing their main efforts in the Pokrovsk sector.”
Syrsky noted that while there was no tactical or operational advantage for these actions, Russian commanders continued throwing new units into battle daily, attempting to break through Ukrainian defenses to reach the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk region.
“600 North Korean Casualties”: Seoul Intelligence Reveals Heavy Losses Among Pyongyang’s Troops
Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed fighting alongside Russian forces, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun stated, citing briefings from the country’s National Intelligence Service. Lee, a member of South Korea’s parliamentary intelligence committee, reported that North Korea has suffered approximately 4,700 total casualties, including both dead and wounded.
Despite initial struggles and poor equipment, North Korean troops have significantly improved their combat effectiveness over six months of deployment. “After six months of participation in the war, the North Korean military has become less inept, and its combat capability has significantly improved as it becomes accustomed to using new weapons such as drones,” Lee told reporters.
Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov publicly acknowledged on April 26 that North Korean soldiers were fighting in Kursk Oblast, marking Moscow’s first official confirmation of this controversial alliance. Pyongyang followed with its own confirmation shortly afterward.
In exchange for troops and arms deliveries to Moscow, Pyongyang has apparently received Russian technical assistance on spy satellites, drones, and anti-air missile systems, according to South Korean intelligence assessments. U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce condemned the arrangement, stating that “North Korea’s military deployment to Russia and any support provided by the Russian Federation to the DPRK in return must end.”
“No Recognition of Crimea”: EU’s Kallas Stands Firm Against Russian Claims
The European Union will never recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea under any circumstances, EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas declared in an interview with the Financial Times. Her remarks come amid growing concern that the Trump administration is pressuring Ukraine to accept a peace deal requiring territorial concessions.
“On the European side, we have said this over and over again… Crimea is Ukraine,” Kallas stated. “But we can’t speak for America, of course, and what they will do.”
Kallas revealed that the EU is developing a “plan B” to maintain economic sanctions on Russia if the Trump administration withdraws from Ukraine peace negotiations and moves to restore ties with Moscow. She acknowledged that the EU’s primary “plan A” could be threatened by Hungary, which has the power to block the renewal of EU economic sanctions in July.
While the EU could help Ukraine financially if the U.S. pulls back, Kallas admitted it would be much harder to replace American military support. She emphasized that Europe continues trying to convince Washington that preventing a Russian victory is in America’s strategic interest.
Kremlin: “Ready for Mass Mobilization Like in WWII at Any Moment”
Russia can mobilize for war on a scale comparable to the Soviet Union during World War II if necessary, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declared during a lecture at the Victory Museum in Moscow. “If a great country needs to stand up, it will stand up at any moment. No one can have any doubts,” Peskov said.
He claimed that “millions” of Russians are already assisting the military effort against Ukraine by collecting aid, sending equipment and ammunition to the front line with personal funds, and weaving camouflage nets. “Somewhere around 30 million Soviet people… gave their lives in the fight against fascism,” he added, drawing historical parallels to the current conflict.
Peskov’s comments come as Russian authorities recruit 30,000 to 40,000 people into the army each month, according to sources familiar with U.S. and EU intelligence cited by the Wall Street Journal. Rather than implementing formal conscription, the Kremlin has relied on financial incentives and aggressive recruitment campaigns to fill its ranks, including offering lucrative contracts to volunteers.
Drone Warfare Escalates: Ukrainian Attack Hits Russian Military Plant
Ukrainian drones struck the Murom Instrument-Making Plant in Russia’s Vladimir Oblast overnight, damaging two buildings and sparking a fire, according to a source in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). The facility, known locally as the city’s “powder factory,” produces ignition components for ammunition used by Russia’s Armed Forces, Interior Ministry, and Federal Security Service.
“There were five explosions at the facility,” the SBU source said. “Two buildings were preliminarily damaged, and a fire broke out.” The plant specializes in the production of ammunition ignition devices and components for the Russian Navy and Air Force and has been placed under Ukrainian and EU sanctions for its role in supporting Russia’s war effort.
Smoke rises over the site of a reported attack at a Russian ammunition plant in Vladimir Oblast, Russia. (Astra / Telegram)
Vladimir Oblast Governor Alexander Avdeev confirmed a fire at a warehouse in Murom, attributing it to drones downed by electronic warfare equipment. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that 34 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones were intercepted and destroyed overnight across multiple regions, including three over Vladimir Oblast.
Reign of Drones: Russian Strikes Kill Three, Injure 70 Across Ukraine
Russian drone attacks struck multiple locations across Ukraine on April 30, killing at least three people and injuring 70. In Kharkiv alone, at least 47 people were wounded in a massive drone assault, including a 5-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy, and a 24-year-old pregnant woman. The attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city damaged apartment buildings, a hospital, and a school in what local authorities described as 16 separate strikes.
First responders work at the site of Russian drone attack in Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine early. (State Emergency Service / Telegram)
“A high-rise apartment block was hit as well as private residences, a medical facility, and civil infrastructure,” Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported. The attacks targeted several parts of the city center, including the Slobidskyi district, where an apartment building was struck, and the Saltivskyi district.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 108 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones. Air defenses intercepted 50 drones, while 22 vanished from radars—likely used as decoys to overload Ukraine’s air defense network.
The violence spread across multiple regions. In Donetsk Oblast, one person was killed in Shakhove, and six others were wounded. A massive suicide drone strike killed one person and injured another in the city of Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Russian forces also shelled Kherson Oblast, injuring six people and damaging 10 apartment buildings and nine homes. In Sumy Oblast, one person was killed and one injured as civilian infrastructure was hit. Artillery strikes on Mykolaiv Oblast wounded two people, while two more were injured in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
“Russian drones continue flying in the skies over Ukraine all morning. And so it goes every day,” President Zelensky posted on social media, calling for stronger sanctions against Russia. “Pressure from the United States, from Europe, from everyone in the world who believes there is no place for war on this planet.”
European Deterrence Force Struggles: Troop Shortfall Threatens Multinational Coalition
European nations would struggle to deploy even 25,000 troops to Ukraine as part of a proposed multinational “deterrence” force, far short of the 64,000-strong target suggested by U.K. defense officials, according to European defense sources. The proposal, part of planning for a “coalition of the willing” led by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, is now being re-evaluated amid concerns over capacity, risk, and ultimate peace settlement prospects.
British Chief of Defense Staff Tony Radakin had reportedly asked European countries whether a force of 64,000 troops could be organized, with the U.K. offering to contribute up to 10,000 personnel and France indicating it might match that number. However, multiple defense ministers privately admitted the bloc would struggle to provide even 25,000 troops in total, citing manpower and funding shortages.
“No chance,” one official told The Times, describing the 64,000 target as unfeasible without large-scale U.S. involvement. Concerns about troop rotations, logistics, and the vulnerability of border defenses were raised by Estonia and Finland. Lithuania’s Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene reportedly criticized the bloc’s limited commitment, warning, “If we can’t even raise 64,000, that doesn’t look weak — it is weak.”
Poland, Italy, and Spain have already ruled out troop deployments, while Finland and Germany generally oppose sending forces to Ukraine. The U.S. has indicated openness to supporting the coalition through intelligence and logistics, though it has not pledged troops.
Putin Acknowledges Ukrainian Presence in Kursk: “Remnants Still Hiding”
Despite the Kremlin’s April 26 claim of fully recapturing Kursk Oblast from Ukrainian forces, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on April 30 that Ukrainian soldiers remain in the region. “They’ve been pushed out of Kursk Oblast, but remnants are still hiding in cracks and basements, asking to be evacuated,” Putin said during an event in Moscow.
The contradiction between Putin’s latest remarks and earlier Russian victory declarations highlights the complex reality on the ground eight months after Ukraine launched its cross-border incursion into Kursk. The August 2024 operation marked the first major foreign ground offensive into Russian territory since World War II and aimed to delay a planned Russian push into Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast while redirecting forces away from eastern Donetsk Oblast.
Ukraine’s General Staff maintains that fighting continues in certain areas of Kursk Oblast: “The situation is difficult, but our units continue to hold certain positions and carry out tasks as assigned,” the military said on April 26, adding that there is no threat of encirclement. President Zelensky confirmed on April 27 that active defensive operations are ongoing in the Kursk and neighboring Belgorod oblasts.
Oil Prices Plummet: Russia’s War Treasury Takes a Hit
Oil prices continued their downward trend, heading for their biggest monthly decline since November 2021, potentially squeezing Russia’s war budget. Brent crude dropped another 1.2% to $63.48 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell to $59.68. Both benchmarks have lost about 15-16% in April.
The decline began in early April when U.S. President Trump announced new tariffs on imports, sparking a trade war with China that affected the world’s largest oil consumers. Recent economic data shows contractions in major markets, with the U.S. economy shrinking in the first quarter and Chinese manufacturing activity falling at its fastest rate in 16 months.
This price collapse comes at a critical moment for Russia, as energy revenues remain Moscow’s key source of financing its war against Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov previously admitted Russia was “closely monitoring” oil markets as prices of Urals crude plunged toward $50 per barrel—significantly below the $70 per barrel projection used for Russia’s 2025 budget.
The Russian Finance Ministry reported that oil and gas revenue already fell by 17% year-on-year in March to 1.08 trillion rubles ($12.8 billion), resulting in a loss of approximately 230 billion rubles ($2.7 billion) in tax income compared to March 2024.
Modi Declines Putin’s Victory Day Invitation in Diplomatic Setback
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declined Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed. While India “will be represented,” it will not be at the highest level, marking a notable diplomatic setback for Moscow.
India, which has emerged as Russia’s largest buyer of discounted oil products amid Western sanctions, has maintained a neutral stance on Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. Modi received the official invitation in early April, and Russian state media had previously suggested his participation was “very likely.”
Peskov added that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the parade and make a separate bilateral visit. Russia expects leaders from 20 countries for this year’s Victory Day celebrations, compared to just nine foreign leaders who joined Putin at last year’s parade.
The Kremlin uses the annual Victory Day parade to showcase its military power and invoke Soviet World War II victories to justify its aggression against Ukraine. Putin has repeatedly used false claims about “de-Nazifying” Ukraine to legitimize the invasion—a key element in Russia’s disinformation campaign.
Evacuation Order: Seven Villages in Dnipropetrovsk Region Under Threat
Ukraine ordered the evacuation of seven villages in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on April 30, as Russian forces push to reach the region’s administrative border. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky confirmed that Russian troops are attempting to break through Ukrainian defenses in the area.
“Russian troops are attempting to break through Ukrainian defenses and reach the administrative border of the Dnipropetrovsk region,” Syrsky wrote in a Facebook post. He noted that despite Moscow’s statements about a ceasefire for the May holidays, Russian forces have sharply escalated hostilities, concentrating their main efforts in the Pokrovsk sector.
Syrsky emphasized that although there is no tactical or operational advantage in these actions, Russian forces continue to attack. “They stubbornly try to break through our defenses in this direction and reach the administrative border,” he stated. “To this end, the Russian command throws new units into battle daily, drives its soldiers to their deaths, and reports on illusory successes and victories.”
The evacuations come as fighting intensifies near the front line. The affected villages, located just dozens of kilometers from the Donetsk front line, are frequently targeted by missile and drone attacks. This marks a significant escalation as Russian forces push westward from their previous positions.
Syrsky said he had met with field commanders and made decisions to boost supplies of ammunition, drones, electronic warfare systems, and reserves. He placed special emphasis on increasing the use of unmanned strike systems to counter the Russian advance.
Zelensky Warns: “Russia is Preparing Something in Belarus” Under Guise of Military Drills
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on April 29 that Russia is preparing potential military aggression under the guise of joint exercises with Belarus scheduled for this summer. “Look at Belarus—this summer, Russia is preparing something there under the guise of military exercises. This is how its new attacks usually start,” Zelensky said at the Three Seas Summit.
“But where this time? I don’t know. Ukraine? Lithuania? Poland? God forbid! But we all have to be prepared. All our institutions are open to cooperation,” he added.
Belarus will host the Zapad 2025 (West 2025) military exercises with Russian forces, part of a long-standing series of drills held every two years since 2009. The most recent iteration, Zapad-2021, involved over 200,000 participants and served as a prelude to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi previously warned that the upcoming exercises could enable Russia to covertly assemble offensive forces. “All exercises have a purpose. And one of these goals is the covert creation of offensive troop groups,” Syrskyi noted. “The visibility of the exercises is the most acceptable way to relocate, redeploy troops, concentrate them in a certain direction, and create a group of troops.”
Looking Ahead: Peace Remains Elusive as Battlefield Reality Prevails
As April 2025 comes to a close, the gap between diplomatic rhetoric and battlefield reality continues to widen. Despite the signing of the US-Ukraine minerals agreement and continued talks of peace initiatives, the intensification of Russian attacks across Ukraine—from Kharkiv to the frontlines in Donetsk—demonstrates Moscow’s unwillingness to genuinely engage in meaningful ceasefire discussions.
Putin’s proposed May 8-10 “humanitarian” ceasefire appears increasingly hollow as Russian forces push harder to make territorial gains. Meanwhile, European efforts to prepare a potential deterrence force face sobering practical limitations, highlighting the continued dependency on US leadership and support.
With oil prices dropping and placing pressure on Russia’s war economy, the question remains whether economic constraints might eventually force a change in Moscow’s calculations. For now, the grinding reality of daily drone attacks, artillery barrages, and infantry assaults continues to shape the lives of millions caught in a conflict showing few signs of resolution.