Recent international events demonstrate that support for Ukraine remains one of the key priorities of Western allies. The European Union confirms its readiness to work towards a just peace, Poland proposes new defense projects together with the United States and Ukraine, and Washington tightens restrictions on Russian scientific institutions. At the same time, the United States is analyzing the possible participation of the Russian Federation in supporting Iranian attacks on American facilities.
The Pentagon has recognized more than 130 scientific institutions from the Russian Federation, China and Iran as a threat to US national security
The US Department of Defense has added 130 academic and research organizations from the Russian Federation, China and Iran to the list of institutions that pose a threat to the country's national security. This was said in the Pentagon press service, noting that the activities of these organizations create risks of misuse of American funds allocated for research and development. The department believes that such activities may contribute to the interference of hostile states in US affairs. The new restrictions apply to both the institutions themselves and their employees.
The updated list includes more than 30 Russian universities and research institutes, including the Kurchatov Institute, the Russian University of Technology, the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Kazan National Research Technical University, the Naval Academy, the Nizhny Novgorod State University, and the Tomsk Polytechnic University. From now on, the Pentagon is prohibited from cooperating with these institutions in the field of scientific research, using their developments, or providing them with funding from the US budget. The American side explains that such steps are intended to minimize the risks of transferring technologies and research results to states that Washington considers strategic rivals.
Zelensky told when he managed to restore relations with Trump after the dispute in the White House
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said, that the turning point in his relations with US President Donald Trump was a short personal meeting in the Vatican in April 2025. He said this in an interview with American blogger Laura Loomer, who came to Ukraine. According to Zelensky, after the conflict in the Oval Office of the White House during the visit on February 28, 2025, relations between the two leaders gradually improved. He noted that it was the personal conversation that helped to leave the contradictions in the past.
The president reported that their meeting in the Vatican lasted about 15 minutes and took place without outside participants. According to Zelensky, during this conversation, both presidents listened carefully to each other and actually agreed not to return to the previous conflict. “I was very glad to hear him, he listened to me, and I listened to him too. There was something between us like “we will not return to this”, but it was very good. Many lives depend on relations and dialogue”, – said Zelensky. He emphasized that constructive dialogue between Ukraine and the USA is of great importance in the conditions of the ongoing war.
The USA is checking possible assistance of the Russian Federation to Iran during attacks on CIA facilities
American intelligence is investigating whether the Russian Federation could have helped Iran during attacks by drones on the facilities of the US Central Intelligence Agency in the Persian Gulf region. This was reported by Reuters with reference to four sources familiar with the investigation. According to the agency, analysts are studying the possibility of transferring intelligence information about the targets or modern technologies of drones to Iran. The American special services have not yet made any final conclusions, but the analysis is ongoing.
Reuters sources note that the attention of the intelligence was attracted by the high accuracy of the strikes and extensive technical cooperation between the Russian Federation and Iran. According to them, in March, at least two CIA facilities were attacked - an American intelligence station at the US embassy in Riyadh and another facility in eastern Iraq. Some of the agency's interlocutors reported other attacks, but did not disclose details. Reuters also notes that one of the internal memoranda of the Western intelligence service made a preliminary conclusion about the probable role of the Russian Federation in supporting these attacks, although this information has not yet been officially confirmed.
The European Commission has supported US efforts to resume peace talks on Ukraine
The European Commission has claimed to support any US diplomatic initiatives aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. This was reported by European Commission spokesman Anwar El Anunni during a briefing in Brussels, commenting on the words of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the previous political framework for resolving the war had not yielded results, as it did not meet Ukrainian interests. According to the EU representative, Brussels has been positive about the US peace efforts from the very beginning and is in constant contact with Washington on this issue. The European Union stresses the need to coordinate further diplomatic steps with its partners.
At the same time, the European Commission once again expressed doubts about the Kremlin's readiness for a real peaceful settlement. Anouar el-Anuni noted that Putin, in the EU's opinion, is using the negotiation process to stall for time, without demonstrating a real interest in ending the war. He also stressed that the Russian economy is under significant pressure, the advance of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine has stopped, and the losses remain very high. The European Commission representative confirmed that the EU will continue to increase sanctions pressure on Russia, in particular after the adoption of the 21st package of sanctions, and will continue to cooperate with Ukraine to achieve peace.
Poland has proposed that the US and Ukraine jointly produce missiles for Patriot
The Polish government has introduced the US to create a joint production of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems with Ukraine. The corresponding initiative was announced by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Poland, Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, during a visit to Washington after negotiations with representatives of the Pentagon and the State Department. According to her, the production is proposed to be located on the territory of Poland in order to take into account US concerns about the security of locating such enterprises directly in Ukraine. Warsaw believes that the trilateral format of cooperation will allow simultaneously supporting Ukraine and guaranteeing the protection of production facilities.
In addition to missile production, the Polish side proposed to create a service center for servicing Patriot interceptor missiles on its territory. Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka emphasized that Poland has a favorable geographical location and is actively developing its own defense-industrial complex, which makes it a convenient platform for such projects. According to the government official, missiles for Patriot are currently in high demand in different countries of the world. That is why Warsaw seeks to join the large-scale international production of this weaponry together with the United States and Ukraine.
Photo: Radio Svoboda
Author: Danylo Pievchev