The Russian-Ukraine conflict is still ongoing, with new developments emerging regularly. One of the latest diplomatic moves came from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who recently spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about potential cooperation towards achieving a fair and sustainable peace deal for Ukraine. However, Zelenskyy made it clear that territorial compromises were not an option. Additionally, Pavlo Riabikin has been appointed as Kyiv's new ambassador to China. Russia has taken note of China's willingness to engage in the peace process for Ukraine, but little progress has been made in resolving issues related to the Black Sea grain deal, which is set to expire soon.
In military terms, Russia shelled eight territories in Ukraine over the past 24 hours, killing two people and injuring 16 in the Kharkiv region. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has suggested that Ukraine's counteroffensive is likely to begin after May 2, and his mercenary forces have yet to receive the ammunition they require from Russia's defense ministry. The UK's defense ministry has stated that heavy combat is ongoing in the ruined city of Bakhmut, while Italian journalist Corrado Zunino was injured in a drone attack in Kherson, and dozens of prisoners of war have been exchanged between Ukraine and Russia.
Other news includes Italian Economy Minister's suggestion that the cost of Kyiv's reconstruction could exceed $400bn over the next decade, and Brazilian President's call for a peace group to broker an agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Finally, Russia's foreign minister has accused the European Union of militarization, claiming that there is little difference between the EU and NATO, and jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has stated that a new criminal case of terrorism has been opened against him.