On Sunday, April 13th, Russia opened with its deadliest attack of the year, firing two ballistic missiles into the center of Sumy, killing 35 and injuring 129 more. The strike, which used cluster munitions according to Ukrainian officials, was targeted entirely at civilians, both on the street and in public transportation. President Zelenskyy was quick to condemn the strike as a “deliberate massacre,” made all the more horrific by its timing on Palm Sunday—a holy day for Christians around the world. As expected, Moscow quickly countered with its usual excuse—claiming it had targeted a “meeting of Ukrainian and Western officers.” Naturally, no evidence was provided, and Ukrainian officials found nothing of the sort at the site of the massacre. The news of the strike also reached President Trump, who, when asked about it, responded that he was told “they made a mistake”—once again downplaying the clear intentionality behind Russia’s actions. Moscow hasn’t denied the strike or where it hit—only who they meant to kill—so maybe Trump didn’t get the full story from his handlers in Moscow.
The mother of Olena Kohut, who was killed in the deadly Russian attack on
Sumy, during a farewell ceremony, 15 April 2025 (AP)
In response to the escalating attacks across Ukraine, particularly those targeting civilians, U.S. lawmakers introduced the Ukraine Support Act, aiming to provide security and reconstruction funding for Ukraine while ramping up sanctions on Russia. This move by Congress ran counter to Trump’s current “negotiating” strategy, which has largely involved opening doors for Moscow to reenter the global stage, often by shifting blame onto Zelenskyy and Biden. Trump, when interviewed about Ukraine’s request to purchase $50 billion worth of Patriot missiles, responded: “He’s always looking to purchase missiles. Listen, when you start a war, you gotta know you can win a war. You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles.”In Trump’s defense for saying something so egregiously horrid, Moscow’s collar might just be on a little too tight these days, because it’s becoming increasingly difficult for him to even pretend his allegiance to Putin is deniable.
On Tuesday, April 15th, the Trump administration quietly blocked a planned G7 statement that would have formally condemned Russia’s Palm Sunday strike on Sumy. The reason? According to diplomatic sources, the White House didn’t want to jeopardize “ongoing negotiations” with Moscow. Without U.S. backing, Canada was forced to scrap the statement entirely, leaving nearly 50 countries’ words of support for Ukraine to stand in contrast to America’s silence. Trump again called the strike “terrible", but stuck to his earlier claim that Russia had simply made a mistake. At this point, it’s less about defending Putin and more about keeping the talking points clean for the next round of backchannel business pitches.
Wednesday, April 16th, Ukraine’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to extend martial law and troop mobilization for another 90 days, pushing both measures through to August 6. While the move maintains critical wartime powers, it also delays elections—a reality that both Russia and the U.S. have started to publicly pressure Kyiv about. Putin, predictably, questioned Zelenskyy’s legitimacy and floated the idea of a UN-backed transitional government, while Trump already dubbed him a “dictator without elections” back in February. Despite that framing, support for martial law remains strong in Ukraine—even among opposition leaders—though former President Poroshenko accused Zelenskyy of using the measure to centralize power. Meanwhile, on the ground, Russia ramped up air attacks across the south, injuring three in Odesa and killing at least one person in Kherson, while also claiming minor gains in Donetsk. With the energy strike moratorium set to expire, both sides now seem to be holding their breath before the next escalation.
On Thursday, we would see the Mineral Deal—something covered multiple times since starting the Pragmatic Papers—come back to the forefront of discussions on U.S.-Ukraine relations. A memorandum of intent was officially signed, laying the groundwork for an economic partnership and a potential 80-page agreement that would grant the U.S. privileged access to Ukraine’s natural resources. Again, this isn’t the deal itself—just the first step, signaling that both parties are willing to keep negotiating. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted, “We’re still working on the details,” but said a finalized deal could be signed as early as next Friday. One important detail: there’s still zero mention of any kind of security guarantees. But hey, maybe—just maybe the Trump administration will surprise us next week.
Friday, April 18th, the Trump administration’s commitment to peace talks took another turn—this time by threatening to walk away from the negotiations entirely if “real progress” isn’t made within a matter of days. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. wouldn’t stick around “for weeks and months on end,” while Trump added that if either side drags things out, “you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people, and we’re going to just take a pass.” This came just days after the administration blocked a G7 condemnation of Russia’s missile strike on civilians in Sumy, claiming it didn’t want to jeopardize talks, and after repeatedly stating it wouldn’t sell Ukraine additional missiles to “keep the peace window open.” Now, three days later, that window apparently isn’t even worth keeping open. All of this, of course, came from the president, who promised to end the war on day one. It's looking like Trump’s method of using “Concepts of a plan” instead of an actual plan is not a great move for a world leader, who knew?
President Vladimir Putin speaks in this video released by the Kremlin on
April 19, 2025.
Saturday, April 19th, Putin announced a temporary Easter ceasefire and oversaw the largest prisoner swap since the war began—moves that, on the surface, looked like progress, but felt more like theater. The truce, which supposedly ran through Easter Sunday, didn’t stop Russian drones from flying over Ukrainian cities or prevent strikes in Odesa and Sumy. Zelenskyy dismissed the gesture as “Putin playing with human lives,” as air raid sirens still echoed across the country. Meanwhile, far more quietly, reports confirmed that the Trump administration is prepared to recognize Russian control of Crimea as part of its proposed peace framework. That alone crosses one of Kyiv’s clearest red lines—but now that the United States has said it’s ready to walk away from the conflict entirely, this isn’t surprising. The Trump administration will begin pushing very uncomfortable concessions onto Ukraine, which, if they refuse, Trump can claim he tried and it’s pointless now, again shifting the blame onto Zelenskyy.