Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated a willingness to scale back long-range strikes on Russia's oil and energy sector if Moscow stops attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Speaking in a WhatsApp briefing on Monday, Zelenskyy said some allies had sent “signals” about reducing such attacks amid rising global energy prices. He also expressed openness to an Easter ceasefire.
A Reuters source familiar with the situation said US officials had conveyed this message to their Ukrainian counterparts, adding that the initial “signals” appeared to have come from Moscow. The US State Department and the Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Zelenskyy, fresh from a four-day Middle East visit, said he had secured agreements for energy support, including a year-long diesel delivery deal.
Ukraine has also signed a 10-year defence agreement with Bulgaria, covering joint production of drones and other weapons. Zelenskyy announced the deal during a visit by Bulgarian interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, praising it as a means to systematise security cooperation. Bulgaria, a Nato and EU member, historically produced Soviet-standard ammunition used by Ukraine’s military and has sent large quantities of weapons to Kyiv.
Russian attacks on central and northern Ukraine on Monday killed two people and injured over 20, regional officials reported. In the Poltava region, drone debris killed one and injured three; in Dnipropetrovsk, one person died and 14 were injured; and in Sumy, glide bomb strikes injured 13, including a six-year-old child, and damaged 15 homes.
The US extended a deadline for companies to negotiate with Russia's Lukoil over its foreign assets, now set for 1 May. Washington imposed sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft in 2025 to limit Moscow's war funding. Interest in the assets, worth about $22bn, has been shown by US private equity firm Carlyle, oil majors Exxon Mobil and Chevron, and others.
Exiled Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky said sanctions on oligarchs and specific sectors have not significantly weakened President Vladimir Putin's position, calling some measures “unrealistic” to enforce and aimed at impressing electorates.
