As Ukraine Reveals 155 Chinese Nationals in Russian Military and Executions of POWs, Russian Forces Launch 145 Drones While Moscow and Washington Exchange Prisoners and Zelensky Proposes $50 Billion Arms Purchase
Summary of the Day – April 10, 2025
The international dimensions of Russia’s war in Ukraine expanded dramatically with President Zelensky’s revelation that at least 155 Chinese nationals are fighting in Russian ranks, with two recently captured in Donetsk Oblast. The announcement came amid a massive overnight Russian drone attack of 145 Shahed units and deadly missile strikes on civilian targets in Dnipro, Nikopol, and Zhytomyr. On the diplomatic front, American and Russian officials held talks in Istanbul on embassy operations while simultaneously exchanging prisoners in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine proposed purchasing up to $50 billion in American weapons systems as Kyiv insisted it would accept no restrictions on its military in future peace talks. Prince Harry made a surprise visit to wounded Ukrainian soldiers in Lviv, even as evidence emerged of Russian forces executing Ukrainian POWs and continuing systematic property seizures in occupied territories.
The United Kingdom’s Prince Harry poses with patients at the Superhumans Center in Lviv during a surprise visit to Ukraine. (Duke of Sussex Press Office)
China’s Battlefield Presence: 155 Foreign Fighters Identified in Russian Ranks
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian authorities have identified 155 Chinese citizens fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine, with the actual number likely much higher. These Chinese nationals are serving with the Russian 70th and 71st motorized rifle regiments in western Zaporizhia Oblast and the 255th Motorized Rifle Regiment in the Toretsk direction.
“It is obvious that these are not isolated cases, but a systemic Russian operation, including on the territory and under the jurisdiction of China, aimed at recruiting citizens of that country for war,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported that Russian forces are recruiting Chinese citizens through advertisements on TikTok and other Chinese social networks. After traveling to Moscow, the recruits undergo medical examinations and one to two months of military training before deploying to Ukraine.
One captured Chinese soldier told Ukrainian interrogators he paid 300,000 rubles (about $3,500) to a middleman in China to join the Russian military in exchange for promised Russian citizenship. Another captive reportedly entered Russia as a tourist in December 2024 and signed a contract after seeing an internet advertisement offering two million rubles (about $24,000).
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian denied knowledge of the Chinese fighters, stating, “The Chinese government always asks Chinese nationals to stay away from areas of armed conflict,” while urging Ukraine to “refrain from making irresponsible remarks.”
Night of Drones: Russia Launches 145 Aerial Weapons Across Ukraine
Russian forces conducted a large-scale drone assault on Ukraine overnight on April 9-10, launching 145 Shahed and decoy drones from multiple locations, including Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and occupied Crimea—despite ongoing negotiations for an energy infrastructure ceasefire.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported downing 85 drones over northern, southern, eastern, and central Ukraine, while 49 decoy drones were lost, likely due to electronic warfare interference. The attacks damaged infrastructure in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Poltava, and Mykolaiv oblasts.
The aftermath of a Russian drone attack against Mykolaiv, Ukraine, overnight. (Governor Vitalii Kim/Telegram)
In Kyiv, falling debris from downed drones caused fires and damaged buildings in the Holosiivskyi and Darnytskyi districts, leaving four people injured, including two hospitalized. Later, a Russian missile strike on Dnipro City killed one civilian and injured nine others, hitting a storage facility belonging to Biosphere Corporation, a Ukrainian manufacturer of household goods.
The aftermath of a Russian missile attack against Dnipro, Ukraine. (Ukraine’s Emergency Servise / Telegram)
“We are now working to eliminate the fire to prevent it from spreading to our production facilities,” company founder Andrii Zdesenko said in a statement.
In Nikopol, a Russian suicide drone injured 12 people, including a 16-year-old boy in serious condition. A dormitory and five cars were damaged in the attack. A separate drone strike in Zhytomyr Oblast killed one person and injured five others, including a 14-year-old.
А Ukrainian civilian injured in a Russian drone attack against Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Governor Serhii Lysak/Telegram)
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry also issued an urgent warning that Russian forces have begun using drones to scatter explosive devices across the country. These drones can deploy dangerous munitions anywhere in Ukraine, with unpredictable detonation timing, creating significant hazards for civilians.
Twin Diplomatic Tracks: Istanbul Talks and Abu Dhabi Prisoner Exchange
American and Russian delegations met at the Russian Consulate in Istanbul on April 10 for talks focused solely on embassy operations, deliberately excluding discussions of the war in Ukraine. The closed-door meeting lasted approximately six hours.
Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev reported that the countries agreed to measures facilitating the movement of diplomats and accelerating the granting of diplomatic visas. The US State Department noted that its delegation reiterated concerns about Russia’s policy prohibiting the US Embassy in Moscow from employing local staff, which the United States views as a barrier to stable operations.
On the same day, Russia and the United States completed a prisoner exchange in Abu Dhabi. Moscow released Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russian dual national sentenced to 12 years in prison for allegedly donating $51.80 to the nonprofit organization Razom for Ukraine. In exchange, Washington freed Artur Petrov, a German-Russian dual citizen arrested in 2023 in Cyprus for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics.
“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced, attributing her release to President Trump’s efforts. CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly negotiated the swap with a senior Russian intelligence official and was present at the Abu Dhabi airport for the exchange.
This marked the second prisoner release negotiated between the US and Russia since Trump took office, following Moscow’s release of US schoolteacher Marc Fogel in February.
Ukraine’s $50 Billion Security Proposal: Arms Purchase Plan Revealed
President Zelensky revealed that Ukraine has proposed purchasing “30 to 50 billion” worth of air defense and weapons systems from the United States, possibly within the framework of a future US-Ukraine mineral deal, as part of Ukrainian efforts to obtain security guarantees that would deter a future Russian invasion.
“I recently told US President Donald Trump that Ukraine wants to buy at least 10 air defense systems to help Ukraine after the end of the war,” Zelensky stated, adding that Ukraine will consider these systems as a “security guarantee” against future Russian aggression.
Ukraine is prepared to purchase these systems either through direct payment to the United States or through the fund established by the potential US-Ukrainian minerals deal. During their conversation, Trump reportedly agreed to help Ukraine locate additional US-made Patriot air defense systems available in Europe.
Ukrainian Air Force Spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ihnat emphasized the importance of these systems, noting that Ukrainian forces have shot down 100 Iskander-K cruise missiles, 97 Iskander-M and KN-23 ballistic missiles, 40 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, and 2,400 Kh-101 and Kalibr cruise missiles since February 2022, with Patriots being the only air defense system Ukraine possesses capable of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles.
Execution Field: Russian Forces Kill Ukrainian POWs
Disturbing drone footage published by the Associated Press on April 10 shows Russian forces executing four Ukrainian prisoners of war near the village of Piatykhatky in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The video captures four unarmed Ukrainian POWs emerging from a ruined building at gunpoint by Russian forces. One raises his hands in surrender before all four lie face down in the grass. Russian soldiers, identifiable by their insignia, then shoot each prisoner in the back.
“Russian invaders execute four Ukrainian prisoners of war after they surrender. Such executions have become systemic, but each one is shocking in its brutality,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated.
This follows a separate report from April 8 of Russian forces from the 144th Motorized Rifle Division executing a wounded Ukrainian soldier near Katerynivka, northeast of Lyman. By mid-December 2024, Ukrainian authorities had documented the execution of at least 177 POWs by Russian forces, highlighting Moscow’s continued violation of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the execution of POWs under any circumstances.
Territorial Chess: Limited Advances Near Chasiv Yar and Toretsk
Ukrainian and Russian forces both made limited advances in several sectors on April 10. Geolocated footage showed Ukrainian forces advancing along Tsentralna Street in western Chasiv Yar, while Russian forces gained ground along Pryvokzalna Street in the same area.
In the Toretsk direction, Russian forces advanced roughly four kilometers along the T-0516 Toretsk-Kostyantynivka highway to Nelipivka, though it remains unclear if they consolidated positions there. Russian forces also made progress in southern and western Lysivka, southeast of Pokrovsk.
Russian forces continued offensive operations across multiple fronts, including in the Kharkiv direction, Kupyansk direction, Borova direction, Lyman direction, Siversk direction, and Velyka Novosilka direction, though without confirmed advances in these areas. Fighting also continued in western Zaporizhia Oblast and the Dnipro (Kherson) direction.
A view of the destruction caused by Russia’s attack in Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast. (Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The commander of a Ukrainian drone platoon operating in the Novopavlivka direction reported that Russian forces are changing tactics, abandoning large mechanized assaults in favor of smaller infantry groups due to changing weather conditions and increased visibility.
Naval Evasion: Russia’s Fleet Dodges Ukrainian Strikes
Ukrainian Navy Spokesperson Captain Third Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk reported on April 10 that Russian naval vessels continue to avoid operating in the Sea of Azov due to the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes.
“Russian forces are moving the remnants of the Russian fleet in occupied Crimea every day due to the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes,” Pletenchuk stated. He noted that alternative Russian naval bases, such as those in Sochi or Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, do not have as much protection as the Russian base in Novorossisyk, and Russian forces are struggling to use the port in Ochamchire in Russian-controlled Abkhazia, Georgia.
Despite these challenges, Pletenchuk noted that Russian forces continue to launch Shahed drones from occupied Crimea, maintaining some operational capability despite the degradation of their naval forces in the region.
A fire also broke out at the Komsomolsk refinery in Russia’s Khabarovsk Krai on April 10, the country’s largest fuel supplier for the Far East. The blaze erupted in one of the facility’s technological units after gasoline reportedly leaked from a column and ignited, covering an area of approximately 100 square meters, according to Russian emergency services.
A fire broke out at the Komsomolsk refinery in Russia’s Khabarovsk Krai. (112 / Telegram)
Property Seizures: Russia’s Systematic Expropriation Campaign
Russian occupation administrations are systematically seizing property throughout occupied Ukraine, publishing lists of “ownerless” residential and non-residential properties in Mariupol on April 4 and 7. The administration instructs residents to submit applications within 30 days and present Russian passports to restore ownership, effectively using property rights as leverage for forced passportization.
“Russian officials ‘nationalize’ property that they have determined to be ‘ownerless,’ and then auction off property to make a profit,” explained Ukrainian Zaporizhia Oblast Administration Head Ivan Fedorov. “In some cases, Russian occupation administrators will sell the ‘stolen’ property to Russian soldiers, occupation officials, and other Russian citizens, regardless of whether a Ukrainian resident legally owns the property or not.”
The Ukrainian Resistance Center reported that property seizures in Mariupol have increased dramatically, with 5.5 times more properties registered as “ownerless” and nationalized in 2024 compared to 2023. Ukrainian Mariupol Mayoral Advisor Petro Andryushchenko suggested that Russian officials often falsify ownership documents to deprive Ukrainians of their homes.
This property seizure campaign serves multiple purposes: direct Russian profit from occupied territories, facilitation of personal data collection and forced Russian citizenship, and support for the relocation of Russian citizens to occupied areas of Ukraine.
Religious Persecution: Russia’s Campaign Against Faith Communities
Russia continues its crackdown against the Crimean Tatar community in occupied Crimea, using dubious legal charges to prosecute and detain members of this ethnic group. The Russian Southern District Court in Rostov-on-Don requested 17 years imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony for a group of six Crimean Tatar men from occupied Dzhankoi on “terrorist” charges related to alleged involvement with Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Human rights organizations reviewing the case noted no evidence that the men were planning any terror attack, suggesting they are being prosecuted because of their Crimean Tatar identities and involvement in Muslim community organizations.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry denounced Russia’s religious persecution in occupied territories, documenting the killing of 67 clergy members from various faiths between the start of Russia’s full-scale war in 2022 and February 2025. Russian occupation authorities reportedly hold more than 30 religious figures in detention and have damaged or destroyed over 640 places of worship, including 596 Christian churches.
“The Russian state, together with the Russian Orthodox Church, have implemented a system of repression against religious communities in the occupied Ukrainian lands, aimed at destroying religious diversity and Ukrainian spiritual identity,” the ministry stated.
Estonia’s Religious Independence: Cutting Moscow Church Ties
The Estonian parliament passed a law on April 9 requiring religious organizations to cut ties with foreign institutions that incite violence or hatred, directly impacting the Estonian Orthodox Church’s connection to the Moscow Patriarchate. The legislation aims to prevent foreign religious influence that threatens national security, constitutional order, or public order, or that promotes military aggression.
“The Estonian Orthodox Church will be compelled to cut ties with Moscow when the law takes effect after receiving presidential approval,” reported Estonian public broadcaster ERR. The Moscow Patriarchate, led by Patriarch Kirill, has openly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Kirill describing Putin’s rule as a “gift from God” and blessing Russian military operations.
In response, the Kremlin deployed narratives it has historically used against Ukraine to set conditions justifying possible future aggression against Estonia. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Estonia of conducting a “hunt” against Orthodoxy, while the ministry amplified the Russian Orthodox Church Holy Synod’s accusations of Estonian persecution and oppression against Orthodox followers.
Russia’s Youth Militarization: “Zarnitsa 2.0” in Occupied Territories
Children throughout occupied Ukraine are participating in “Zarnitsa 2.0,” a revived Soviet-era military-patriotic game aimed at training youth in basic military skills in preparation for eventual service in the Russian military. The program targets children aged seven to 17, teaching them “traditional values” and “modern challenges” such as cyber warfare and drone operations.
The children form squad-sized “detachments” that compete against other teams for ranking on a national leaderboard that includes teams from occupied Ukraine. Municipal-level “Zarnitsa 2.0” competitions are underway until April 16, with events recently concluded in some towns in occupied Luhansk Oblast, including Bilovodsk and Sverdlovsk.
Over 12,000 youth from occupied Luhansk Oblast alone reportedly registered for the program in February and March 2025. Created by the Russian Movement of the First and Yunarmia youth military-patriotic movements, “Zarnitsa 2.0” is part of a wider Russian ecosystem operating throughout occupied Ukraine with the explicit purpose of militarizing Ukrainian children, indoctrinating them against their Ukrainian identities, and training them to fight for the Russian military against their fellow Ukrainians.
International Support: UK-Norway Aid and EU Frozen Assets
The UK and Norway announced a 450 million pound ($585 million) military aid package for Ukraine on April 10. The UK will allocate 350 million pounds, while Norway will contribute 100 million pounds through the UK-led International Fund for Ukraine. The package includes funding for equipment repair and maintenance, radar systems, anti-tank mines, and hundreds of thousands of drones.
British Defense Minister John Healy is expected to announce the aid officially on April 11 at the Ramstein summit, a meeting of defense ministers from 50 countries co-chaired by the UK and Germany.
The European Union will dedicate 2.1 billion euros ($2.4 billion) in revenue generated from frozen Russian Central Bank assets to Ukraine’s defense industry, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova announced. About 1 billion euros will directly support Ukraine’s defense industry via the “Danish model” of arms procurement, while the EU separately allocated another financial assistance tranche of 1 billion euros as part of the G7 loan program.
Ukraine and the EU also extended their transport visa-free regime until the end of 2025, helping to speed up Ukrainian exports by easing bureaucratic requirements and avoiding delays at customs. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted that Ukraine’s exports to the EU have increased by 42% and imports by 37% in the past three years.
The “Coalition of the Willing”: UK-France Security Initiative
UK Defense Minister John Healey clarified on April 10 that troops deployed to Ukraine to monitor a potential ceasefire as part of the “coalition of the willing” would not act as traditional peacekeepers but as support to Ukraine’s own forces.
“This is not a peacekeeping force that will separate the currently warring sides down the line of contact,” Healey told a press briefing in Brussels. “The most effective deterrence against renewed Putin aggression, the best way of cementing a ceasefire is to strengthen the Ukrainian forces themselves.”
The coalition, led by the UK and France, convened a summit at NATO Headquarters to discuss military planning and operational readiness in anticipation of a potential ceasefire. Healey outlined four strategic objectives: a safe sky, a secure sea, peace on land, and a strong Ukrainian military.
While 15 countries have reportedly agreed to contribute troops to a “reassurance force,” planning faces complications due to the “known unknowns” surrounding a future peace settlement. Allied troops, which could number between 10,000 and 30,000, would secure strategic facilities in the rear while Ukrainian forces would continue to act as the main deterrent to Russian aggression.
Sanctions Tightening: US Legislation Targets Russian Oil Fleet
A bipartisan group of US senators introduced legislation on April 9 to intensify the enforcement of sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers. The proposed law would authorize US authorities to confiscate oil cargoes transported by vessels blacklisted by the Treasury Department, with proceeds directed toward reducing the US national debt.
The bill calls for the creation of a $150 million Russian Sanctions Enforcement Fund to bolster efforts to monitor and disrupt illegal oil trade networks, while expanding intelligence sharing to help track vessels violating international restrictions.
“Russia is continuing its malign actions by operating a ‘ghost fleet’ to evade US sanctions, enrich its own war machine, and even aid Iranian oil smuggling,” said Republican Senator Joni Ernst, one of the bill’s sponsors.
President Zelensky announced that Ukraine is preparing its own sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet. “There is corresponding justification from the special services; these are strong packages,” Zelensky said. “These are about the shadow tanker fleet that Moscow uses to finance the war.”
As of January, more than 200 tankers were under US sanctions for facilitating the transport of Russian oil in violation of international restrictions. German authorities recently seized the Panama-flagged Eventin, which was carrying approximately 100,000 tons of Russian oil.
Royal Solidarity: Prince Harry’s Surprise Visit to Ukraine
In a surprise diplomatic gesture, Prince Harry visited Ukraine on April 10, meeting with soldiers and civilians injured in Russia’s war. The visit was only announced after the British royal had already departed the country for security reasons.
The 40-year-old prince spent time with war casualties in Lviv in western Ukraine at the Superhumans Center, an orthopaedic clinic that treats and helps rehabilitate wounded military personnel and civilians. He was accompanied by members of his Invictus Games Foundation, a multi-sport event he founded in 2014 for injured serving and former soldiers.
During his visit, Harry met with Ukraine’s minister of veterans affairs Natalia Kalmykova and observed a live surgery in the facility’s operating theater. As a former British Army captain who served two tours in Afghanistan, Harry has maintained a strong commitment to supporting wounded veterans.
The visit came just over a month after King Charles III welcomed President Zelensky to his country estate at Sandringham, and marks the second time a member of the British royal family has visited wartime Ukraine. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who is married to Charles’s youngest brother, Prince Edward, visited Kyiv in April 2024, becoming the first royal to travel to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Leadership Changes: US Ambassador Resigns as Russian General Returns
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink announced her intention to resign from her post after three years of service, State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed on April 10. While Bruce praised Brink’s “extraordinary performance,” she did not provide details on the cause of the resignation.
The ambassador’s decision comes during a critical period in U.S.-Ukraine relations, as the Trump administration has signaled a dramatic shift in policy, suspending over $1 billion in military aid and halting weapons shipments following a tense Oval Office meeting between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and President Zelensky in late February.
In Russia, Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov, a paratrooper officer formerly under arrest on fraud charges, will take command of a high-risk Storm-Z assault unit in Ukraine in exchange for having criminal charges dropped. Popov, who faced allegations of stealing 1,700 tons of construction materials worth $1.32 million intended for fortifications, will now lead units typically comprised of soldiers expelled from their original formations, convicted felons, and rear-area troops.
A commander who previously led the 58th Combined Arms Army, Popov came into conflict with the Kremlin after publicly stating that an aborted military coup by Wagner commander Yevgeniy Prigozhin was partially justified due to heavy losses caused by “ignorant and unskilled top military commanders” and failure to deliver promised artillery support.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Military Law Enforcement Service canceled an order to draft Roman Nasirov, the former head of the State Fiscal Service who is accused of taking hefty bribes. The cancellation came days after Transparency International Ukraine reported that Nasirov had been “voluntarily” mobilized into Ukraine’s Armed Forces amid court proceedings where he faces charges of accepting $5.5 million for fraudulent tax refunds.
“Zero tolerance for corruption is being established within the Armed Forces. Therefore, any steps aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian army will be dealt with severely,” Ukraine’s military stated in announcing the cancellation of Nasirov’s mobilization order.
Sanctions Justice: Former Crimea Official Convicted in London
A London court found Dmitry Ovsiannikov, formerly a Russian-installed head of occupied Sevastopol in Crimea, guilty on April 9 of violating British sanctions in the first such ruling under the UK’s Russian Regulations of 2019.
The 48-year-old was convicted on six out of seven counts of circumventing sanctions between February 2023 and January 2024, after opening a Halifax Bank of Scotland account and having his wife, Ekaterina Ovsiannikova, transfer tens of thousands of pounds to it. His brother, Alexei Owsjanikow, was also convicted on two counts of sanctions breach.
Ovsiannikov was appointed as chief of the occupation administration in Sevastopol in 2017, the same year he was placed on the UK and EU sanctions lists. He held the post until 2019, when he resigned amid criticism of his work. Despite existing sanctions, he moved to London in 2023 and acquired a British passport.
The UK has imposed targeted sanctions on Russia in coordination with partners since 2014 in response to Moscow’s illegal annexation of Crimea, further tightening the sanctions regime after the full-scale invasion of 2022. Over 1,700 individuals and 380 entities are sanctioned under the UK’s Russia regime as of 2025.
Corporate Restrictions: Russia Blocks Western Business Return
Foreign companies that left Russia and financed Ukraine’s army, as well as those branded as “foreign agents,” will not be allowed to return to the Russian market, Russian state-controlled media reported on April 10. This development comes despite Putin’s February order for authorities to prepare for Western companies’ return.
Preliminary criteria would ban firms with a “hostile position,” those that finance Ukraine’s Armed Forces, or are classified as “undesirable organizations” or “foreign agents.” Companies that stopped fulfilling obligations to employees or owed wages and taxes before leaving may also face restrictions.
Foreign businesses seeking reentry may be required to localize production, transfer technologies to Russia, and establish production facilities and scientific development centers in the country—effectively demanding full technological integration as the price of market access.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, hundreds of Western companies have withdrawn from the Russian market. According to the Kyiv School of Economics Institute, 472 foreign firms have fully exited, while another 1,360 have scaled down operations.
Justice Deferred: Putin Immune from War Crimes Tribunal While in Office
The Council of Europe’s special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine will not try Russian President Vladimir Putin in absentia for as long as he remains in office, according to European officials. The same condition will apply to other high-level Russian officials, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“At the end of the day, it’s about politics and bargaining,” one EU official told Euronews, describing the provision on trials in absentia as a “compromise” and “done deal.” Putin and other Russian officials may only be tried in absentia after they leave office—a provision that significantly delays potential accountability.
The international tribunal, first proposed following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, is still being established, with Kyiv expected to sign the bilateral agreement on May 9. Critics argue the limitation creates a significant accountability gap, as it means Putin and his top officials essentially remain immune from prosecution while holding power, despite overwhelming evidence of Russian aggression and war crimes.
Ukrainian Stance: No Military Restrictions in Peace Negotiations
Ukraine will not agree to any restrictions on its armed forces’ size or combat readiness as part of negotiations with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa told Reuters in an interview published on April 10.
“This is a principled position of Ukraine—no one, and certainly not the aggressor country Russia, will dictate to Ukraine what kind of armed forces Ukraine should have,” he stated, emphasizing that a well-trained Ukrainian military remains the strongest safeguard against future Russian aggression.
Kyiv has formally communicated its stance to Washington, according to Palisa. His remarks come amid a fragile partial ceasefire covering strikes on energy infrastructure and the Black Sea, brokered in U.S.-mediated talks in Saudi Arabia on March 11.
While Kyiv had agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire, Moscow rejected the proposal on March 13 unless it included restrictions on Ukraine’s military and an end to foreign military aid—conditions that Ukraine has now explicitly ruled out.
Looking Ahead: Peace Process Faces Fundamental Obstacles
As Russian forces continue to violate the energy infrastructure truce and refuse to accept a broader ceasefire, the prospects for a negotiated end to the conflict remain distant. Russia’s unsubstantiated accusations of Ukrainian violations—despite the lack of any publicly available official ceasefire agreement—demonstrate how Russia will likely act in the event it accepts the ground ceasefire to which Ukraine and the United States have already agreed.
The emergence of Chinese fighters in Russian ranks introduces a concerning international dimension to the conflict, while Russia’s systematic property seizures, religious persecution, and militarization of Ukrainian children in occupied territories reveal Moscow’s long-term intentions. These developments, coupled with documented war crimes against Ukrainian POWs, suggest Russia remains committed to continued hostilities rather than genuine peace efforts.
With Russia continuing to use bilateral talks with the United States to delay negotiations about the war, and Ukraine making clear its refusal to accept restrictions on its defensive capabilities, the path to meaningful negotiations appears increasingly complex. Until Russia demonstrates genuine willingness to engage in good faith—and accepts a clearly defined and monitored ceasefire agreement—the shadow of war will continue to loom over Ukraine and the broader European security landscape.