For almost a week, the whole world has been watching with concern the markets after the widespread tariffs imposed by Donald Trump, but the Ukraine war continues without a peace agreement. Precisely, to facilitate negotiations between Russia and the US for a ceasefire in Ukraine, the US president has decided not to include Russia in the list of countries affected by the tariffs.
Meanwhile, on the front, bombs and drones continue to fall in Ukraine and Russia. Early Monday morning, a Ukrainian drone caused damage to Russian railway tracks in the Krasnodar region, located in southwestern Russia. Previously, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its air defense units intercepted and destroyed 19 Ukrainian drones during the night.
The mayor of the Russian city of Kursk, Igor Kutsak, the capital of the bordering region with Ukraine, announced his resignation on Monday for family reasons at a regional government meeting, reports Efe. "I have decided to leave the position on my own initiative due to family reasons," he declared, as cited by the official Russian news agency TASS.
The mayor mentioned that during his three years in office, "many family issues have accumulated" that require his "utmost attention."
Kutsak thanked the temporary governor of the region, Alexander Jinshtein, for his understanding and expressed his confidence that at the next extraordinary meeting of the Kursk municipal council, the deputies will support his decision to resign.
Pope Francis Sends Four Ambulances to War Zones in Ukraine
Pope Francis will send four ambulances to the war zones in Ukraine, in a new "gesture of closeness in one of the most painful places, plagued by war for three years," reported the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development on Monday, informs Efe.
Francis will once again send his almoner, the Polish cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who along with three other drivers will take the ambulances "equipped with all the necessary medical equipment to save human lives in war zones"
"Therefore, in this time of Easter renewal, the pope wanted to have a gesture of closeness in one of the most painful places, plagued by war for three years: the martyred Ukraine. Three years that for the Holy Father are a painful and shameful anniversary for humanity," says a statement from the Vatican 'ministry' dedicated to charity.
Francis has already sent ambulances and medical supplies to Ukraine, and in most missions, the one responsible for personally driving the vehicles has been Cardinal Krajewski, who has made about ten visits to the country.
Russia Reduces Prison Sentence for US Soldier Convicted of Theft
An appeals court in the Russian Far East reduced on Monday the prison sentence for a US soldier convicted of theft and death threats, reported the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, according to AP.
Sergeant Gordon Black, 34, flew to the port city of Vladivostok in the Pacific to see his girlfriend and was arrested in May 2024 after she accused him of theft, according to US officials and Russian authorities. A month later, a Vladivostok court found him guilty and sentenced him to three years and nine months in prison. Black was also ordered to pay 10,000 rubles (115 dollars at the time) in damages.
Ukrainian Team to Travel to the United States This Week to Negotiate a Mineral Agreement
A Ukrainian team will travel to the United States early this week to negotiate a mineral agreement, according to a Ukrainian source familiar with the situation, as reported by Reuters on Monday.
The government of US President Donald Trump has proposed a broader mineral agreement that Ukraine has been reviewing in recent days.
Thousands of Ukrainian Civilians Remain Detained in Russia with Uncertain Hope of Release
When she heard the door of her house open almost two years ago, Kostiantyn Zinovkin's mother thought her son had returned home because he forgot something. Instead, men with balaclavas burst into the apartment in Melitopol, a city in southern Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, reports AP.
They said Zinovkin was detained for a minor offense and would be released soon. They used his key to enter, his wife Liusiena pointed out, and searched the apartment so thoroughly that they destroyed it "down to molecules."
But Zinovkin was not released. Weeks after his arrest in May 2023, the Russians told his mother that he was planning a terrorist attack. Now he is being tried on charges that his family considers absurd.
Zinovkin is one of the thousands of civilians captive of the Russians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists that their release -- along with prisoners of war -- will be an important step to end the 3-year war.
So far, this has not been a major topic in the Washington talks with Moscow and Kiev.
EU Finance Ministers to Discuss Joint Fund for Acquisition and Ownership of Defense Equipment
European Union finance ministers will discuss this week the creation of a joint intergovernmental defense fund that would acquire and own defense equipment, charging its members a fee for its use, according to a document prepared for ministerial talks, as reported by Reuters.
The document, prepared by the think tank Bruegel, was commissioned by the Polish EU presidency and could generate significant defense funding without increasing national public debt levels, a concern for many countries with high levels of indebtedness.
The document is part of a debate in the EU on how to finance preparations for a possible Russian attack, as European governments realize they can no longer fully rely on the US for their security. The EU is already seeking to increase military spending by 800 billion euros (876.4 billion dollars) over the next four years, easing its fiscal restrictions on defense investment and seeking joint loans for large defense projects, backed by the EU budget as collateral.
Zelensky Denounces Lack of US "Response" to Putin's "Rejection" of Ceasefire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lamented on Sunday the lack of a US "response" to Russian President Vladimir Putin's "refusal" of a complete and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, following new deadly attacks, especially in Kiev, reports Afp. The US proposed a 30-day ceasefire in March, which Kyiv accepted.
But US President Donald Trump, increasingly close to Vladimir Putin, could only obtain from Moscow an agreement for a ceasefire in the Black Sea and a very vague moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure, which both sides accuse each other of violating.
"Ukraine has accepted the US proposal for a complete and unconditional ceasefire. Putin refuses," said Volodymyr Zelensky in his daily address to the nation.