Ukraine updates: Trump, Zelenskyy meet at Vatican

Russia's FSB secret service says it has detained a man suspected of killing a Russian general in a car blast outside Moscow on Ukraine's orders.

Moscow has accused Kyiv of being behind the blast on Friday that killed senior Russian general Yaroslav Moskalik, who was deputy head of the main operational directorate of the military's General Staff.

The FSB said a Ukrainian special services agent had rigged a car with a homemade explosive device, which he took from a Ukrainian secret service stash in the Moscow region. It said the bomb was then detonated remotely from Ukraine.

A FSB-released video showed the suspect apparently confessing, as well as his arrest and the bomb's components.  

The suspect appeared alone on the video but it was unclear whether he was speaking under duress. He could face a life sentence on terrorism charges.

Kyiv has not commented on the blast, which carried hallmarks of previous attacks on military figures and high-profile Kremlin backers over the last three years. 
 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says she offered Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy the European Union's backing in any talks for ending the war with Russia in a meeting at the Vatican.

"Europe will always stand by Ukraine in the pursuit of peace. You can count on our support at the negotiating table to achieve a just and lasting peace," she posted on X after meeting Zelenskyy on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral.

The Ukrainian General Staff has dismissed statements by the Kremlin that Russian troops have recaptured the border region of Kursk as a "propaganda move."

It said fighting was ongoing in parts of Kursk, and also in the neighboring Russian region of Belgorod. 

Earlier, Russian officials announced that Russian troops had fully recaptured Kursk.

The military leadership in Kyiv said Russia was spreading "wishful thinking," and that attacks from the Russian side had been repeatedly repelled. 

"The operational situation is difficult, but our units continue to hold certain positions and carry out the tasks assigned to them," the statement said. 

US President  Donald Trump has indicated a new approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he has doubts about the Kremlin leader's commitment to peace.

"There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions?' Too many people are dying!!!"

Trump had also leveled another hitherto rare criticism against Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, urging him to stop deadly attacks on Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy have agreed to maintain momentum in planning for a "just" and durable peace after they met at the Vatican.

"The Prime Minister met President Zelenskyy in Rome this afternoon," said a spokesperson for the UK prime minister.

"They discussed positive progress made in recent days to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

"They agreed to maintain momentum and continue working intensively with international partners to drive forward the next stages of planning."

French President Emmanuel Macron says Russian President Vladimir Putin must prove whether he is really prepared to make peace,.
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"Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire," Macron said in a post on the social media platform X. 



"Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire. President Zelensky reaffirmed it to me today."

"He wishes to work alongside the Americans and the Europeans to make it happen. It is now up to President Putin to prove that he truly wants peace."

Russia says it has fully retaken its Kursk region on the border with Ukraine, after an unprecedented Ukrainian incursion that brought the war onto Russian territory.

At the same time, Moscow admitted for the first time that it deployed North Korean soldiers in the battle to recapture the region.

The soldiers from North Korea made a significant contribution to the "liberation" of the region from Ukrainian soldiers, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said in a video conference with President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were also pictured alongside the American and Ukrainian presidents in images from the encounter.

Asked about a photograph shared by the Ukrainian presidential press office that depicted the four leaders standing together in Rome, the French presidency said: "I confirm the meeting, which was positive."

A drone strike by Russia has hit a nine-storey residential block building in Ukraine's industrial region of Dnipropetrovsk, with at least one person killed and three more injured, including a child.

In a post on Telegram, the military governor of the region, Serhiy Lysak, said some apartments caught fire following the attack in the city of Kamianske.

In a separate incident on Friday evening, the nearby city of Nikopol, which is near the front line, came under attack. 

A 46-year-old man later died from his injuries, Lysak said in an earlier post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a "good meeting" with US President Donald Trump at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The two leaders were both attending the funeral of Pope Francis. 

"Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results," Zelenskyy posted on X, while expressing gratitude to Trump.

Ukrainian media earlier reported that the meeting was 15 minutes long.
The White House had described the meeting as "very productive."

The Trump administration is seeking a ceasefire deal in Ukraine. Trump earlier this week accused Zelenskyy of prolonging the war but also criticized Russia under Vladimir Putin for carrying a deadly attack in Kyiv.  

Trump has suggested that his administration may move on from Ukraine if no progress on a ceasefire is made in the near future.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. 

Welcome to DW's coverage of developments from Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine on Saturday, April 26.

US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian opposite number Volodymyr Zelenskyy have met at the Vatican, on the sidelines of the funeral of Pope Francis. 

The meeting was their first since an explosive encounter in the Oval Office in Washington in February. Britain and France were also involved in the talks.

Zelenskyy has described a "very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic."

Meanwhile, Russia says it has expelled all of Ukraine's forces from the Kursk region — a claim disputed by Kyiv

In this blog, we will keep you updated as the latest developments unfold.