Dr Tim Meek

Utterly shocking mass shooting in Kyiv. A Moscow-born gunman opened fire in broad daylight, killing people one by one before taking hostages in a supermarket. This war is total and it reaches everywhere.

Meanwhile magnolias are in full bloom in Kharkiv. Some things can’t be stopped.

On a train right now, watching footage of a Russian drone strike on a passenger train in Kherson. They’re not hiding war crimes anymore. They’re broadcasting them to intimidate.

Even on Easter, Russia continued assaults on the front, and Russian air strikes persist – hundreds of “shaheds” almost every day, alongside missile attacks. Right now, swarms of “shaheds” are once again filling Ukraine’s skies. Therefore, the task of securing additional air defense remains our foremost priority. We discussed this pressing need and the possibility of working together on air defense production. It is crucial to continue the necessary pressure on Russia because of this war. Sanctions against Russia, preventing the normalization of Russia in its current form, and ensuring sufficient support for Ukraine truly matter for peace. Today, we also addressed, in particular, the need to unblock the European support package for Ukraine worth €90 billion – this decision is necessary, and I thank you for your support. From a joint press conference with Giorgia Meloni (2/3).

We all need a modern and truly effective defense system capable of protecting against any threats. The war has changed, and now, without genuinely strong protection against every type of drone, no one can feel secure. Ukraine has developed a special format of security agreement, which we call the Drone Deal format. We propose combining our military expertise and defense capabilities with those of our partners, specifically in drones, missiles, electronic warfare, and data sharing. Importantly, Italy has shown interest in this format of cooperation, and Giorgia and I agreed that our teams will work through the details of a Drone Deal between Ukraine and Italy. From a joint press conference with Giorgia Meloni (3/3).

President of Italy Sergio Mattarella @Quirinale and I discussed the security situation in Ukraine, across our Europe, and also in the Middle East and the Gulf region. I gave an overview of our agreements with countries of the region regarding security cooperation. It is important to develop a joint protection system in Europe as well. Particular attention was given to the assistance needed for Ukraine’s energy resilience, the unblocking of the decision on the €90 billion financial package for Ukraine, the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, and the negotiation clusters on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. I thank Italy for its help to Ukraine’s energy sector during this difficult winter. I thank the President for his unwavering, principled position in support of Ukraine and our people.

With Italy’s Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, we discussed cooperation in the defense sector and possible formats of such partnership – both bilateral and multilateral with partners in Europe. Ukraine is ready to cooperate within the SAFE instrument. We also spoke about strengthening our air defense. Russia continues its daily terror against Ukraine and our people, and it is important to constantly reinforce Ukrainian air defense with the timely supplies of missiles. We agreed to continue work on preparing the Drone Deal and defining all areas of cooperation. We have significant potential for a defense partnership, and it must be realized. I thank Italy for its political, military, and diplomatic support since the very beginning of Russia’s full‑scale invasion.

Downed Russian Shahed drone on display in front of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv. The same weapon Russia keeps using to kill civilians every single day.

Through all the pain and emptiness Russia brings, Ukrainians are baking paska, painting eggs, setting the table. The stubbornness of life is the most Ukrainian thing I know. Velykden blessings 🤍 Happy Easter

So the Kremlin’s “support package” didn’t quite deliver? 16 years in power are gone. 🇭🇺 Watch closely, Vladimir.

Russia’s messaging on Hungary now: “Everything is fine, we still have great influence there 🙂” Also Russia: refuses to congratulate Magyar because Hungary is now an “unfriendly country.” 🤡🍿

After a ceasefire Russia never kept, it’s back to killing civilians. 5 people killed on the street in Dnipro in Russian missile strike today.

A mother notices her 8-year-old performing Ukrainian national anthem in sign language. He knows who he is. 💔 📹 panni.leonila

Kyiv this morning. Russia attacked all night. Shahed drones flying very low, explosions nonstop. The city is covered in thick smoke. Four killed, among them a 12-year-old boy. Dozens wounded, including rescuers who came to help.

“Haggling over a few square kilometres.” Those kilometres have names. Cities. Villages. Mass graves. They also happen to be someone else’s country.

Today, I presented state awards to representatives of the Crimean Tatar people. I am grateful to you for standing with Ukraine. I thank everyone who is fighting for our state, for Ukraine’s independence, for our rights, and for our territorial integrity. I signed a decree that provides more real opportunities to defend all of Ukraine and our Crimea – all our people and the indigenous Crimean Tatar people – our security, and our right to live freely on our land. The Mejlis has always been and remains the representative body of the Crimean Tatar people – this has been the case in practice, and we are now enshrining it legally and politically. So that your capabilities are strengthened, as well as our shared Ukrainian capabilities. We must put an end to Russian aggression, strikes, and abuse. We must guarantee all components of security for Ukraine. And we can achieve this only together – guided by principles – all of us in Ukraine, all of us in Europe, all of us around the world. If we continue to be as effective and active as possible and remain mindful of the lessons of the past.

Russian losses this March have reached their highest level since the start of the war: our drone strikes alone resulted in 33,988 Russian servicemembers killed or seriously wounded, while artillery and other strikes eliminated another 1,363 Russian occupiers. That means more than 35,000 Russian losses in just one month – and these are clearly verified losses. We have video documentation of every such strike in our system. I thank all our warriors for their precision. I will especially recognize the warriors of the Special Operations Center “A” of Ukraine’s Security Service, the “Magyar's Birds,” the State Border Guard Service special unit “Phoenix,” “Lasar’s Group,” and the 95th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade – these are the most effective units in the use of drones. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, briefed me on the performance of all units at the front. We have clear and verified reports for every direction and every type of strike. We are ready to provide the relevant data to our partners. Essentially, Ukraine’s Defense and Security Forces have denied the occupier the ability to dictate the situation on the front line. Importantly, the results in the destruction of Russia’s air defense systems have also significantly increased, with 274 such systems hit in March alone. There have also been tangible results in the destruction of Russian depots and military logistics. The Ministry of Defense, together with the Armed Forces, will present a detailed report to the public for March – data that may be made public. I also approved with the Minister today a number of tasks for the coming weeks. In particular, we are preparing decisions to strengthen the Ukrainian infantry, the army contract system, and measures to address AWOL cases – measures that must genuinely work in practice. We are also preparing decisions to scale up the export opportunities of our weapons manufacturers and joint productions with partners. I thank our Defense Forces for the results! Glory to Ukraine!

I spoke with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi @AlsisiOfficial. The President informed me that Egypt will no longer accept grain exported by Russia from our temporarily occupied territories and is, at the same time, interested in increasing imports of grain from Ukraine. I am grateful for this decision. Egypt is also ready to contribute to achieving a dignified peace. We agreed that our foreign ministers will remain in contact. We discussed the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf, as well as its impact on the global oil market. I updated the President on our meetings and agreements with countries in the region. Ukraine has significant potential for military-technical cooperation, and we are ready to work in this direction with Egypt as well. We also went over other areas for developing bilateral cooperation between our countries. We will continue working on this.

NASA launched astronauts to the Moon for the first time in 50 years. Russia spent the same day hitting residential buildings in Kharkiv with jet-powered Shaheds. Such different definitions of progress.

Right now Russia is attacking Ukraine with missiles and waves of drones in broad daylight. 400+ drones already. People are being told to take cover immediately.