Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense, has stated that strengthening Ukraine’s air defence will be the key priority at the meeting of the Ukraine’s Defence Contact Group (also known as the Ramstein format), which started on the afternoon of 26 April.

The European Commission has begun explanatory discussions with Ukrainian representatives on the official screening of legislation – verification for compliance with EU law – as part of the agriculture negotiating section.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces have commented on the statement by the head of the KGB of Belarus about the supposedly intercepted drone attack on Minsk that had been allegedly launched from the territory of Lithuania. They said it was disinformation.

Ivan Tertel, the chief of Belarus' State Security Service, revealed an attack on Minsk that was supposedly prevented by "sharp Chekist measures" carried out by drones from Lithuania, but refused to provide details.

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning the manner in which Vladimir Putin's sham re-election was conducted and calling for those elections not to be declared legitimate.

US President Joe Biden signed legislation enacted by Congress that offers about US$61 billion in new military and economic aid to Ukraine, as well as help to other US allies.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have discussed further cooperation to support Ukraine at a joint meeting.

Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the UK, has revealed that the new UK aid package for Ukraine will include millions of ammunition shells, hundreds of vehicles and long-range Storm Shadow missiles.

German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jaeger has shared photographs from his visit to Mykolaiv; he attended a training for mine clearance experts as an observer as part of his trip.

In a vote on Tuesday 23 April, the European Parliament approved a one-year extension of the deal on duty-free food trade with Ukraine, along with extra safeguards for European farmers.

Foreign branches of the state passport service Document have suspended the issuance of pre-made passports due to technical reasons.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has confirmed reports of suspending consular services to Ukrainian men liable for military service residing abroad.

The first batches of artillery shells procured under a Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine outside the EU could be delivered to Ukraine in late May or early June.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that he does not believe in implementing French President Emmanuel Macron’s idea of a global ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine for the duration of the 2024 Olympics because Russia will not keep any promises.

The next meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein format, is scheduled for 26 April and will be held via a video link.