These are the key events on day 1,158 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.Here is where things stand on Sunday, April 27:
Fighting
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed what he said was the complete failure of an offensive by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region after Moscow said they had been expelled from the last village they had been holding.
Russia’s chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, has confirmed for the first time that North Korean soldiers have been fighting alongside Russian troops in Kursk, praising their “courage and heroism” in helping to drive out the Ukrainians.
Diplomacy and politics
The FSB security service said it had detained a suspect over the killing of senior Russian military officer Yaroslav Moskalik by a car bomb. The Kremlin has blamed Ukraine for the killing. There was no official comment from Kyiv on the attack.
United States President Donald Trump cast doubt on whether Putin wants a peace deal, shortly after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at St Peter’s Basilica before Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome.
Zelenskyy said the meeting could prove historic if it delivers the kind of peace he is hoping for, and a White House spokesperson called it “very productive”.
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After the meeting, Trump took a tough tone on the Russian leader, writing, “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days.” He also urged Putin to stop bombing civilian areas in Ukraine, adding that secondary sanctions on Russia might be necessary in response.
Following Trump’s remarks, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the US Senate is poised to move forward on bipartisan legislation that would impose trade sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil, gas and other pr …