Russian invasion The world's response

Sources: Vance is driving US Ukraine policy

US Vice President JD Vance is one of the main architects behind the Trump administration's Ukraine policy, sources with insight tell the Kyiv Independent.

Vance is one of the most vocal critics of US support for Ukraine, a stance he has held for a long time. In early 2022, during the run-up to the invasion, the then Senate candidate said that he "doesn't care" about what happens to Ukraine. In February of last year, he got into a high-profile altercation with Zelenskyy at the White House and accused him of ingratitude.

According to the sources, Vance's stance is based on the fact that he does not believe that Ukraine is in the US national interest, and that American resources are being drained unnecessarily. Many close to him are said to have the exact opposite view, including his cousin Nate Vance, who fought for Ukraine for three years.

Grain could trigger a crisis between Israel and Ukraine

Ukraine and Israel are on the brink of a diplomatic crisis, writes Euronews. This is because of a ship loaded with grain that Ukraine claims Russia stole from Russian-occupied territories and sold as Russian.

According to Ukraine, a ship loaded with stolen wheat was unloaded in Haifa, Israel, earlier in April. Now another is said to be on the way, and on Monday the Ukrainian government summoned Israel's ambassador and warned against letting it happen again.

The countries’ foreign ministers, Andriy Sybiha and Gideon Saar, have clashed over X.

“It is difficult to understand the lack of response from Israel to Ukraine’s legitimate request regarding the previous ship that delivered stolen goods to Haifa,” Sybiha writes.

Saar criticizes him for openly taking the conflict over X and says that no evidence has been presented.

“The issue should be investigated. Israel is a law-abiding state,” he adds.

Putin’s Russia
Putin: We must focus less on prohibitive laws

The Russian parliament should not focus only on restrictive laws. Vladimir Putin said this in a speech to the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, reports the independent Meduza.

The president added that “excessive restrictions hinder development” and called for laws that are not just “adaptations to current challenges and risks.”

– All of these are temporary, fleeting phenomena. But Russia is eternal, and our legislation must be flexible, dynamic, progressive and forward-looking, he says.

The Russian economy is limping and dissatisfaction with Putin is growing, which is also reflected in government opinion polls. Not least, the restrictions on the internet, especially the Telegram app, are hugely unpopular.

Earlier in April, sources told Bloomberg that the Russian state had begun to reassess internet restrictions in order to curb public anger.