French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin's temporary ceasefire announcement was a "marketing operation" aimed at calming US President Donald Trump, who is growing frustrated with the stalled peace talks and has become angry at Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-easter-ceasefire-marketing-ploy-donald-trump-france-jean-noel-barrot-says/Labour's Rachel Reeves will meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington to push for a trade deal that eases American levies on UK exporters. The meeting comes as Donald Trump's attacks on the US Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, sparked market mayhem, with US stocks and the dollar dropping 3% after Trump warned of an economic slowdown unless interest rates are cut. Labour is seeking free trade and overseas investment into the UK, while Trump has imposed tariffs of 10% on all goods and 25% on UK steel, aluminium, and car exports.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14633699/Chancellor-US-trade-mission-President-stock-market.htmlThe ringgit retreated against the US dollar due to global economic uncertainties and mixed signals from the US monetary policy front. Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist, attributed this to concerns over US President Donald Trump's criticism of the US Federal Reserve and potential implications for its independence in setting monetary policy. The ringgit also declined against other major currencies, including the Japanese yen, British pound, euro, Singapore dollar, Philippine peso, Thai baht, and Indonesian rupiah.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/money/2025/04/22/ringgit-retreats-on-dollar-strength-trump-fed-tensions-fuel-market-caution/174098US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement that the US will stop helping with peace talks unless there is success has raised concerns about the potential impact on the process. The comment comes after a previous promise to have a resolution in 24 hours, which was not met. Critics argue that abandoning the talks due to perceived difficulties or lack of progress is an immoral and cowardly approach, as exemplified by Dennis Fitzgerald's criticism from Melbourne, Australia.
https://www.gulftoday.ae/opinion/2025/04/21/peace-talksRussian drones attacked the Ukrainian port city of Odesa in a nighttime assault, according to local authorities on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after a supposed Easter ceasefire declared unilaterally by Moscow and just over a day before officials from Ukraine, Britain, France, and the US are set to meet in London to discuss the war. The efforts of diplomacy have generated expectations that they may be able to halt more than three years of combat since Russia's large-scale invasion of its neighbor. Trump said last week that negotiations were "reaching a critical point" and insisted that neither side was "manipulating" them in their attempt to end the war, following comments from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who suggested the US might withdraw from talks entirely if progress is not made.
https://apnews.com/article/ucrania-guerra-rusia-negociaciones-odesa-fcfa28a46efc6642030e9052e6a1391aUkraine was hit by a massive drone attack launched from Russia on April 22, 2025, with 54 combat and decoy drones fired from various locations including Millerovo, Kursk, Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Chauda in occupied Crimea. The Ukrainian Air Force successfully shot down 38 combat drones, while 16 decoy drones were lost to tracking systems, causing damage in the Odessa and Kiev regions.
https://www.fakti.bg/en/world/965810-ukraine-repels-large-scale-night-attack-by-russian-dronesJapanese Prime Minister Saito plans to deliver a letter to China, potentially due to a visit by the prime minister being delayed. This gesture aims to balance Japan's relationships with China, its largest trading partner, and the US, as Japan seeks an exemption from tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump's administration. Saito will discuss concerns about seafood exports and beef imports during his meetings, aiming to build trust.
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2025/04/22/ishiba-pens-letter-to-xi-as-japan-aims-to-avoid-trade-crossfireUtah Sen. Mike Lee is hopeful that tariff negotiations with the EU, Japan, South Korea, and India will lead to lower trade barriers around the world. However, he is cautious about the risk of a trade war and its potential consequences. Lee believes the Trump administration's use of tariffs as leverage may not yield the desired outcome, citing the potential for escalation and increased protectionism.
https://www.deseret.com/politics/2025/04/21/utah-senator-mike-lee-hopes-trump-tariff-negotiations-reduce-trade-barriers/Polish diplomat Wronski expects a speech by Foreign Minister Sikorski to address Poles' concerns amid ongoing war and international uncertainty. The speech will analyze Poland's foreign policy commitments and propose measures to make the country safer. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin announced a temporary ceasefire during Easter, but Ukraine's President Zelensky reported that Russian troops violated this ceasefire 2935 times on Sunday.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3984674-polish-fm-on-easter-truce-ukraine-knows-putin-well-and-understands-the-value-of-his-declarations.html