Ukraine’s army chief meets top NATO general – the nightly update without photos

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked his country’s foreign partners for their recent support with arms, money and other aid in the war against Russia. His army chief, Valery Zalushny, met with NATO commander Christopher Cavoli to discuss the current situation at the front. Heavy fighting continues there, with the strategically important city of Bakhmut at the heart of the action.

Zelenskyj thanks Macron

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday about a new arms aid package for Ukraine. “It is very important that Russia gets increasingly strong signals that the world will not forgive Russia’s terror,” Zelensky stressed. Ukraine and its partners must act with the utmost unity and integrity “to protect our common values”. He thanks “all the people in the world who help to strengthen the isolation of terrorists and prevent any supply of weapons and their components to terrorists”. By “terrorists” Zelenskyy means the Russian army.

The Ukrainian leader thanked Denmark for the recent delivery of howitzers, Slovenia for armored vehicles, Spain for tanks and Germany for the planned delivery of more armored vehicles and grenades. Ukraine will also receive $1.25 billion from the US to support its state budget. The Netherlands, in turn, is prepared to train Ukrainian soldiers on modern weapon systems, Croatia is taking care of wounded soldiers and Italy is ready to help rebuild Ukraine.

The current developments in the live ticker:

Army chief Saluschnyj meets NATO commander Cavoli

Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Zalushny, meanwhile, held talks with the Supreme Commander of NATO forces in Europe, Christopher Cavoli. He briefed the US general in detail on the situation along the fronts in Ukraine, Salushnyj said on Telegram on Sunday. “I have described possible scenarios, threats and conditions for our future actions.” Zalushny did not specify the location of the meeting. Experts believe that Ukraine is currently preparing for a spring offensive to recapture occupied territories.

At the meeting, he briefed Cavoli on the need to provide Ukraine with a wide range of weapons and air defense systems that would “help meet the challenges of countering Russian aggression,” Zalushny said.

Just ten days ago, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited the Ukrainian capital Kiev for the first time since the start of the Russian offensive war.

Fighting continues over Bakhmut – Russian border region reports dead

Heavy fighting for Bakhmut continues in eastern Ukraine attacked by Russia. Russian troops had taken four more parts of the city, a defense ministry spokesman said in Moscow on Sunday. Like other information about the events of the war, this could not initially be independently verified. Kiev only reported on Saturday that the Russians had failed to cut off Ukrainian supply routes to Bakhmut.

Bachmut has been under joint attack by the Russian army and the Wagner mercenary group for months now. According to their own statements, the attackers now control about 85 percent of the city’s territory.

Russian artillery struck the town of Nikopol in southern Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Sunday evening. Authorities say one person died and two others were seriously injured. Several buildings were damaged, it said.

In Russia, on the other hand, the Bryansk border region reported four deaths from Ukrainian shelling. A state of emergency has been declared in the stricken village of Susemka, Governor Alexander Bogomas wrote on Telegram.

Russian army reports destruction of ammunition depot

Russian forces say they destroyed a depot containing some 200 tons of ammunition in an attack on the railway station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. In addition, a large Ukrainian armed forces field workshop was destroyed in the Sumy region, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Interfax bureau in Moscow. There was initially no reaction from the Ukrainian side, but in the evening the Ukrainian army command reported the destruction of a Russian ammunition depot without specifying its location. Again, this information could not be independently verified.

Pope Francis alludes to peace mission

Pope Francis has vaguely indicated that the Vatican is involved in a peace initiative in view of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. “Everyone wants a path to peace. I am willing to do whatever it takes. A mission is currently running, but it is not yet public,” the head of the Catholic Church said on Sunday on his flight back from his trip to Hungary. He did not give further details. “When the time comes, I can comment on it,” he said.

That’s important on Monday

Due to possible attacks, traditional May 1 events have been canceled in many places in Russia. (con/sda/dpa)