Reports that the U.S. could formally give de jure recognition to Russia's control over Crimea have landed like a bombshell in Kyiv.

As U.S. President Donald Trump is pursuing rapprochement with Russia, the country's embassy in Kyiv is facing internal strain. Following the change in administration, Bridget Brink, who had been the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine since 2022, was put in the hot seat. Brink attempted to align with the new administration's tougher stance on Ukraine. She publicly backed the White House after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's disastrous Oval Office meeting. The shift in rhetoric caught the eye

Three weeks ago, Ukraine and the U.S. agreed to implement a full 30-day ceasefire. Russia declined to do so, issuing a list of demands instead. On April 4, Russia hit a residential neighborhood in the city of Kryvyi Rih with ballistic missiles and drones, killing 19 people, including nine children, according to local authorities. Seventy-five people were reportedly injured. Each day afterward, at least one major Ukrainian city far from the front lines was struck by Russian missiles, resulting

As Ukraine struggles to reform its tainted judiciary, investigators and top officials are allegedly helping controversial judges to keep their seats. As part of the judicial reform, the High Qualification Commission was scheduled to vet 41 judges, including those from Ukraine's two most dubious courts — the Pechersk Court and the now defunct Kyiv District Administrative Court, on March 17. The courts have a long record of corruption allegations and politically motivated prosecutions. The vett

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff recently claimed that the majority of people in Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories had participated in referendums and "indicated that they want to be under Russian rule." Witkoff's claim is false in many ways. Witkoff referred to the Russian sham vote on the annexation of Ukraine's Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts held in September 2022. The so-called "referendums" contradicted both Ukrainian and Russian law and were recognized only by

U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on March 18 to discuss a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal. Putin claimed Russia would pause attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 days, but did not commit to a broader ceasefire. Russia has declined to immediately accept the 30-day ceasefire proposal, with the Kremlin pointing out that Ukraine stands to benefit more from the halt in military action. Putin demanded that Kyiv first halt mobilizati

Russian President Vladimir Putin's conditions for a ceasefire are unrealistic and tantamount to demanding that Ukraine disarm itself and surrender, analysts say. Putin said on March 13 that Russia was ready to agree to the U.S.-backed 30-day-long ceasefire in Ukraine but then followed by listing a number of demands — a ban on Ukrainian mobilization or training of troops and a halt on Western military aid for Kyiv. Putin also hinted that Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk Oblast must surrender.

As a U.S. delegation in Moscow worked to hammer out a ceasefire agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader responded by demanding extensive concessions in exchange for a ceasefire deal in Ukraine. So far, Trump has made harsh demands on Ukraine while avoiding putting similar pressure on Russia. Now, attention turns back to Trump as to whether he will continue his trend of appeasement or double down and force Russia to accept a deal. Speaking at a press conference on Ma

Russia is signaling its intention to reject a U.S. ceasefire proposal already accepted by Ukraine in Jeddah this week, setting the stage for a likely diplomatic standoff between Washington and Moscow. After nearly 48 hours of silence on the issue, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov on March 13 dismissed the idea of a ceasefire, describing it as a "respite for the Ukrainian military" and adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin would comment on the matter later in the day. Following wee

Over the course of a tumultuous few weeks of talks, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his frustration with Kyiv. On March 7, Trump declared that he finds it "more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine" than Russia. Yet, after weeks of strong-arming Ukraine into submission, the Trump administration is yet to ask Russia for a single concession, and real negotiations with the Kremlin have yet to actually begin. According to experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent, some of

As Washington continues to pressure Kyiv into submission, President Volodymyr Zelensky stands at a painful crossroads — agree to U.S. demands or chart a course without Washington, pinning Ukraine's hopes for survival on Europe alone. Neither option seems reassuring for Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump's constant verbal attacks against Zelensky and Ukraine and the halt in U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv have brought U.S.-Ukrainian relations to a record low. In the most

European countries have intensified talks on sending peacekeepers to Ukraine to monitor and enforce a possible ceasefire. But the potential deployment of European peacekeepers to Ukraine faces a lot of challenges and uncertainties. There is no unity among European countries on the issue, with some of them openly opposing the idea. The number of peacekeepers is also uncertain, and it is not clear if it will be enough to ensure the effective enforcement of a ceasefire. And the rules of engagemen

Editor's note: This article was updated on March 5 to include a statement from the U.S. European Command. President Donald Trump’s freeze on weapons is alarming Ukrainians, who look to U.S. air defense to stave off the worst of Russia's missile attacks. A White House representative on March 3 announced a “pause” on U.S. weapons aid to Ukraine following an ugly encounter between Trump, his Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last week. A spoke

U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that the U.S. spent $350 billion on assistance for Ukraine. He also said he wants it back. Trump has used the sum to pressure Ukraine into signing a deal that would give the U.S. at least a 50% interest in Ukrainian natural resources through a joint investment fund as payback for its support for Kyiv. According to media reports and President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine would be supposed to gradually contribute $500 billion from its budget revenues from m

U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Ukraine's president is an illegitimate "dictator" aligns with Kremlin war objectives and puts Volodymyr Zelensky in an almost impossible situation, experts and analysts have told the Kyiv Independent. "In the last few days we’ve seen how closely Trump has aligned himself with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s view of Ukraine in general and Zelensky in particular," Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in post-Soviet security at King's College London, said.