Mariupol situation remains dire, says Zelenskyy

• Ukraine denies Mariupol has fallen after Russia's ultimatum expires
• EU prepares 'mechanisms' to sanction Russian oil
• Zelenskyy calls Mariupol situation 'inhuman'
• Russia says hit Ukrainian ammunition factory near Kyiv

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Zelenskyy slams delays in weapons deliveries

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized delays in arms deliveries to Ukraine. 

As Russia prepares for an expected new offensive, Ukraine faces a situation where there is "permission for Russia to take the lives of Ukrainians," Zelenskyy said.

While Zelenskyy did not name any countries, in Germany there is a dispute within the governing coalition as to whether to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been accused of dragging his feet despite announcing significant defense spending increases and calling Russia's invasion of Ukraine "a turning point" for Germany.

Military experts say Ukraine needs significantly more heavy weapons to put forth a formidable resistance to Russian attacks in the eastern part of the country.

18 people killed, 100 wounded in shelling in Kharkiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Sunday during his nightly address that 18 people have died and 100 were wounded during shelling over the past four days in the northeast city of Kharkiv. He added the shelling has been constant.

Zelenskyy said, "This is nothing but deliberate terror: mortars, artillery against ordinary residential quarters, against ordinary civilians."

Earlier, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said five people were killed and 20 injured following a missile strike and artillery fire that struck the center of the suburb of Saltivka. 

He added that Ukrainian forces had been able to repel Russian forces and recapture two village and part of a third village.

Zelenskyy speaks with the IMF's managing director

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he spoke with Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The two discussed Ukraine's financial stability and the post-war reconstruction of the country.

Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter, "We have clear plans for now, as well as a vision of prospects. I’m sure cooperation between the IMF & Ukraine will continue to be fruitful." 

Ukraine's prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, earlier said he would attend IMF and World Bank meetings this week in Washington in order to seek additional financial assistance for his country.

Russia says it shot down two Ukrainian jets in Kharkiv

Russia's Ministry of Defense said its air defense system had shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets in the region of Kharkiv.

Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, "Russian air defense assets near the Fedorovka and Zavody settlements in the Kharkiv region shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft in the air."

Konashenkov added that a Ukrainian drone was shot down near the town of Preobrazhenskoye. Russia also said it had destroyed two Ukrainian command posts and the radar system for S-300 surface-to-air missiles in the city of Avdiivka, north of the city of Donetsk.

By Russia's count, 136 airplanes, 471 drones, 248 anti-aircraft missile systems, 2,308 tanks and armored vehicles, 2,171 military vehicles, 254 rocket launchers and 998 pieces of field artillery and mortars belonging to Ukrainian forces have allegedly been destroyed. 

Ukraine says Mariupol hit with more bombs, missiles

With thousands of Ukrainian fighters still held up in a steelworks plant in Mariupol, the Russian military "continues to launch missile and bomb strikes on the city," Ukraine's army headquarters said.

Ukraine said Russia used Tu-22M3 strategic bombers in Mariupol and "tried to carry out assault operations near the seaport and the Azovstal plant" where the last defenders are located.

Russia previously issued an ultimatum to Ukrainian forces to surrender or be "eliminated." No reports of surrender came from the city despite the ultimatum expiring this morning.

Russia's default could become Europe's default — Medvedev

Former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev slammed comments made by the EU's Ursula von der Leyen on Russia's state default. Previously, EU Commission head von der Leyen said Western sanctions were "biting" deeper and deeper into Russia's economy and that the nation's default is "only a matter of time."

On Sunday, Medvedev mocked von der Leyen as "European aunt Ursula" and warned the strategy of "masochists from Brussels" could backfire.

"This is what (they) secretly wished for at night," Medvedev wrote on Telegram, noting that Russia's default "could turn into Europe's default — both morally and very likely financially." 

Medvedev said that the EU financial system was not completely stable, and also that EU citizens would be enraged by "hyperinflation" and the wave of refugees which would bring "a wave of violent crime."

The Russian politician served as president between 2008 and 2012, with Vladimir Putin as prime minister. He then also served as prime minister under Putin before resigning in January 2020. The 56-year-old remains a senior Kremlin official and deputy chief of Russia's influential Security Council.

Biden should visit Ukraine, says Zelenskyy

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy has invited US President Joe Biden to come to Kyiv.

"I think he's the leader of the United States and that's why he should come here to see," Zelenskyy told CNN on Sunday.

Previously, the US leader said his administration was contemplating sending high-level officials to Ukraine, and even indicated he was ready to visit the country himself.

Zelenskyy also said that he invited France's Emmanuel Macron to visit and see evidence of "genocide" against Ukrainians.

Ukraine says Mariupol has not fallen

Despite Russia's ultimatum to Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol to surrender or be destroyed, the defenders are still resisting, said Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

"The city still has not fallen," Shmyhal told US broadcaster ABC. "There's still our military forces, our soldiers. So they will fight to the end."

No reports of surrender came out of the port city after the Russian ultimatum expired this morning. Russian officials said some 2,500 fighters were still holed up in a steelworks plant, including 400 "foreign mercenaries,"  and that Kyiv has forbidden its forces to surrender.

Shelling kills several in central Kharkiv

At least five people were killed and 13 injured in the shelling which targeted the center of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, according to a report by Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspline.

"Rescuers are operating in the sites (affected by shelling)," the report said.

Separately, journalists working for the AFP news agency said a series of strikes had ignited fires and tore roofs off buildings.

Kharkiv, which had a pre-war population of 1.5 million, is located some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border. It faced heavy bombing since the fighting started although Russian forces have not entered the city.

Earlier this week, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov said over 500 people had been killed in the city and the region since the war started on February 24.

Russia 'worried' by NATO activity in Arctic: ambassador-at-large

Russia is worried about the increased activity of NATO forces in the Arctic region, Russian ambassador-at-large Nikolai Korchunov has said in comments carried by Russia's TASS news agency.

"The recent increase in NATO's activity in the Arctic is a cause for concern. Another large-scale military exercise of the alliance was recently held in northern Norway. In our view, this does not contribute to the security of the region," Korchunov said.

He said such activities posed a security risk because of the danger of unspecified "unintended incidents" and could also seriously damage the Arctic ecosystem.

Finland and Sweden, which are both considering becoming NATO members, held long-planned combined NATO military drills in northern Norway in March.

On Thursday, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies warned NATO that if the two countries joined the US-led alliance, Russia would deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in a European exclave.

Pope Francis speaks of an 'Easter of war'

The head of the Roman Catholic Church has called on the entire world to "implore for peace" amid a number of conflicts across the globe, notably saying that Ukraine has been "dragged" into a "cruel and senseless war."

"Our eyes, too, are incredulous on this Easter of war. Wehave seen all too much blood, all too much violence. Our hearts, too, have been filled with fear and anguish, as so many of our brothers and sisters have had to lock themselves away in order to be safe from bombing," Pope Francis said.

Ukraine was "sorely tried by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged," he said.

The pope has so far not explicitly blamed Russia for its invasion of Ukraine but earlier this month, speaking in Malta, implicitly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin by saying a "potentate" was fomenting conflict for nationalist interests. His comments on Sunday are being seen as another implicit condemnation of Russia's actions.

The pope's remarks came in his biannual "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) address to about 50,000 people in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. It was the first Easter since 2019 that the public was allowed to attend following two years of COVID-19 restrictions.

Ukraine asks for G7 support: adviser

Ukraine has asked G7 nations for $50 billion (€46 billion) in financial support, Oleh Ustenko, economic adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said.

Speaking on national television, Ustenko said the option was also being discussed of issuing 0% coupon bonds for the next six months to help bridge a budget deficit largely caused by the war.

Diplomacy seems 'useless' with Putin: Italian PM

In comments coming after Italy said it would reopen its Ukrainian embassy in Kyiv from Monday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has said diplomacy seems helpless in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin's resolution to wage war on Ukraine.

"I am beginning to think that those people are right when they say 'It is useless to talk to him, it's just a waste of time,'" Draghi told the daily Il Corriere della Sera.

"I have the impression that the horror of the war with its carnage, with what they have done to children and women, is completely independent of the words and phone calls that are made," the Italian leader said.

Describing Ukrainians' defense of their country as "heroic," Draghi said that while Western sanctions were "essential to weaken the aggressor," direct help through weapons was needed.

"We need to help the Ukrainians directly, and that is what we are doing. Not doing so would be tantamount to telling them: surrender, accept slavery and submission — a message contrary to our European values of solidarity," Draghi said.

Ammunition factory near Kyiv destroyed: Russian Defense Ministry

Russian missile strikes have destroyed a factory producing ammunition near the city of Brovary, close to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov has said.

"Overnight, high-precision air-launched missiles destroyed an ammunition factory near the town of Brovary in Kyiv region," Konashenkov said.

Brovary's mayor had earlier spoken of missile strikes on infrastructure in the city. It is not yet clear whether he meant this attack now claimed by the Russians.

No humanitarian corridors open on Sunday: Ukrainian deputy PM

Ukraine has said no evacuation routes will be opened for civilians to escape areas in the east of the country affected by Russia's invasion, as no agreement on such humanitarian corridors had been reached with Russian armed forces.

"As of this morning, April 17, we have not been able to agree with the occupiers on a ceasefire on the evacuation routes. That is why, unfortunately, we are not opening humanitarian corridors today," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote in a statement on social media.

EU says providing another €50 million in humanitarian support

The European Union says it is allocating a further €50 million ($54 million) in funding to give humanitarian support to people affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The funding is to include €45 million for humanitarian projects in Ukraine and €5 million for Moldova.

The bloc said its total humanitarian aid funding in response to the war was now €143 million. The support is part of a €1 billion package promised by the European Commission at last week's global pledging event "Stand Up For Ukraine."

The money is to go toward providing providing emergency medical services, access to safe drinking water and hygiene, shelter and protection, cash assistance, and support against gender-based violence, according to a press statement.

City near Kyiv hit by missile strikes: mayor

A Russian missile attack has damaged infrastructure in the city of Brovary, some 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, Mayor Igor Sapozhko said.

There were no details on the extent of the destruction and whether there were casualties. Some unconfirmed reports have spoken of water and power outages in the city.

Brovary, with a population of just over 100,000, was the scene of fighting and some shelling by Russian troops in March but was reported by Ukrainian authorities to be clear of Russian invading forces in early April.

Russia aiming to assert 'regional dominance': British intelligence

Despite moving its military operations in Ukraine to the east of the country, Moscow has not changed its objective of trying to stop Ukraine moving out of its orbit toward the West, according to an intelligence report issued by the British Defence Ministry on Sunday.

Russia "is committed to compelling Ukraine to abandon its Euro-Atlantic orientation and asserting its own regional dominance," the report says.

The report say that Russian is bringing military equipment and supplies from Belarus toward eastern Ukraine and hitting Ukrainian positions in the region ahead of a planned renewed offensive there.

No reports of activity in Mariupol after Russian ultimatum

There have been no reports of major changes in the situation in Mariupol after a Russian ultimatum was issued to Ukrainian forces defending the southeastern port city to lay down their arms by 0300 UTC/GMT and leave their position within four hours of that without arms or ammunition.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov warned that "all those who continue resistance will be destroyed.''

Ukrainian defenders are reported to be based in a large steelworks in the city, with Russia's Defense Ministry claiming to have otherwise taken the urban area.

A morning report from the Ukrainian military said Russian airstrikes on the city had continued overnight and that there were "assault operations" near the port area.

The city, situated on the Sea of Azov, has seen the heaviest fighting during Russia's invasion, unleashing a catastrophic humanitarian catastrophe. If it falls to invading Russian troops, it would be the first major city to be taken by Moscow since the start of the invasion on February 24.

In the ultimatum, Russian armed forces told Ukrainian fighters in the Azovstal steelworks that their lives would be spared if they laid down their arms.

EU prepares 'mechanisms' to sanction Russian oil

The EU is working on the next wave of sanctions against Russia which would affect the country's banking and energy sectors, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Sunday edition of Germany's Bild newspaper.

This includes "smart mechanisms to allow for the oil to be included in the next step" of sanctions, von der Leyen said.

The measures would also target Sberbank, Russia's largest bank which alone comprises 37% of the nation's banking sector. The EU has already added Sberbank's chief Herman Gref to its sanctions list.

The EU official also said that Russia's bankruptcy was only a matter of time.

"Putin is destroying his own country and the future of his population with this war," she told the mass-circulation paper.

Zelenskyy says situation in Mariupol remains dire

During his Saturday night video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation in the besieged southeastern port city of Mariupol remains extremely serious.

Zelenskyy called the situation "just inhuman," and said, "Russia is deliberately trying to destroy everyone who is there in Mariupol."

Russian forces claim the last remaining defenders of the city are now holed up in the Azovstal steelworks in the city.

Russian missile hits Kharkiv community kitchen

A Russian missile struck a community kitchen established by World Central Kitchen, an aid organization set up by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres to provide food relief in disaster and war zones.

Andres tweeted that staff was fine but shaken. He added, "Russian attacks must stop against civilian buildings and markets and churches and schools etc." 

World Central Kitchen said it has now set up kitchens in 30 cities across Ukraine, supplying almost 300,000 meals a day.

Summary of events in Russia's war on Ukraine Saturday

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine could produce two documents — one to be signed with Ukraine's partners and the other with Russia, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The one with partner countries would guarantee Ukraine's security, he told reporters.

After meeting Russia's Vladimir Putin earlier this week, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer told US broadcaster NBC that the Russian president was "in his own war logic."

"I think he believes he is winning the war," Nehammer said.

Major General Vladimir Frolov, the deputy commander of the 8th Army, whose forces have laid siege to the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, was buried in St. Petersburg.

Russian officials also published a video of what they say are sailors from the missile cruiser Moskva that sank two days ago. Ukraine says they hit the ship with a Neptune missile, though it sank while being towed to port.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had destroyed buildings belonging to a production plant for armored vehicles in Kyiv.

The UK will send armored vehicles to Ukraine "in the coming days," according to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Moscow said that it was imposing an entry ban on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as well as several other top British officials.

The Swiss government has called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude Russian and Belarusian officials from top posts in international sports federations. Minister of Sport and Defense Viola Amherd wrote in a letter that a measure to exclude the two countries' athletes from international competitions doesn't go far enough.

Several sports associations, including the IOC, football governing body FIFA, European football ruling body UEFA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), have their headquarters in Switzerland.

tj, ar/sri, fb (AFP,  AP, dpa, Reuters)