Here’s what it looks like on Tuesday, April 25, 2023:
diplomatic
- U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told a U.N. Security Council meeting chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Russia’s incursion into Ukraine had “caused enormous suffering and devastation.”
- Ukraine’s allies have denounced the Russian-convened meeting at the United Nations as cynical. The meeting, chaired by Lavrov, was aimed at discussing the protection of the UN Charter, which Moscow is accused of violating in its February 2022 all-out invasion of Ukraine.
- Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations directly asked Lavrov to release detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
- Beijing sought to calm anger in Europe after China’s ambassador to France questioned the sovereignty of the country that once belonged to the Soviet Union.
- During a visit to Ukraine, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Karas said she supported Kiev’s call to join NATO “as soon as conditions permit” and join the European Union.
- A Moscow court has rejected the appeal of a woman accused of killing a pro-Kremlin war blogger in a St. Petersburg cafe.
struggle
- Russia’s Black Sea Fleet repelled a drone attack on Crimea’s Sevastopol port in the early hours of Monday, the city’s Moscow-appointed governor said.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry has accused Ukraine of attempting to attack its ships in the Black Sea, saying it threatens the prospect of a renewed grain export deal.
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenkisy would launch a counteroffensive if Bakhmut fell.
- The Washington-based think tank Institute for War Studies said Ukrainian troops had established positions east of the Dnieper, sparking speculation of a counterattack. Russia bombed the southern Ukrainian cities of Kherson and Beleslav, destroying about 30 buildings and injuring civilians.
- Moscow said it had spotted a “Ukrainian” drone outside Moscow. Igor Sukhin, head of Bogorodsky district on the outskirts of the capital, said a local resident spotted the drone in the forest.
arms
- EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has expressed confidence that the bloc will soon finalize a plan to buy ammunition for Ukraine.
