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Morning Headlines
Reuters: Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and the UAE are exploring a $2,500 Ukrainian-designed interceptor drone as a cheaper way to counter Iranian attacks that are depleting stockpiles of U.S.-made missiles, a Japanese firm marketing the technology overseas told Reuters.
Politico: The Hungarian government signed an agreement with Russia to expand the two countries’ economic, trade, energy and cultural ties, according to documents drawn up by the Russian government and obtained by POLITICO. They starkly underscore how close Budapest and Moscow hope to become.
ISW: Russian forces continue to conduct drone strikes intentionally targeting civilians in southern Ukraine, weaponizing civilian harm as an intentional tool of war.
More News
The Daily Beast: On the morning of Vance’s European trip, Bloomberg revealed that Orbán told Putin in October 2025 that he was prepared to help Moscow “in any way” to win the war in Ukraine, adding: “In any matter where I can be of assistance, I am at your service.” According to a leaked transcript of the phone call, Orbán also compared himself to a mouse rescuing a trapped lion after it spared the rodent, a reference to a European fable.
The Kyiv Independent: U.S. Vice President JD Vance suggested on April 7 that "elements" of Ukrainian intelligence have interfered in U.S. and Hungarian elections, as he visited Budapest to endorse PM Orban ahead of a key vote.
Reuters: The Ukrainian military is participating in consultations on the Strait of Hormuz, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday, adding that Ukraine's maritime defence expertise is also of interest in Asia.
AP News: Ukrainian forces are operating in western Libya under a covert deal endorsed by the West, and they used the Northern African country’s territory to strike a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean last month, two Libyan officials said Tuesday.
Reuters: Russia has pushed back the launch of three moon missions, the Interfax news agency said on Tuesday, a setback to its ambitious lunar exploration programme as longtime space rival, the United States, celebrated a historic flight around the moon.
Reuters: The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday it carried out a court-authorized disruption of a DNS hijacking network controlled by a Russian military intelligence unit. Officials in Germany and Britain also issued advisories about the hacking campaign on Tuesday.
Reuters: Ukraine's parliament passed one of a handful of tax laws on Tuesday as part of reforms required by the International Monetary Fund, lawmakers said, with more votes expected on Wednesday as Kyiv needs to secure critical financing.
France 24: Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Tuesday on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a text already diluted from the green light Gulf states had sought to use force to protect the key shipping lane.
Reuters: Crude oil exports from Russia's Sheskharis terminal in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk were suspended after a massive drone attack and a fire.
Reuters: NORSI, Russia's fourth-largest oil refinery, suspended operations on April 5 following a Ukrainian drone attack.
United24 Media: Russia’s attempt to establish direct air travel between Moscow and Pyongyang has struggled to generate demand, with most flights operating largely without tourists despite receiving state subsidies.
The Kyiv Independent: A cross-party group of members of the European Parliament called for the removal of a former Kremlin interpreter from an OSCE mission set to independently monitor Hungary's April 12 election, for which they have been rebuked by the President of the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly.
Reuters: Cameroon said Russian authorities have confirmed the deaths of 16 Cameroonians fighting against Ukraine, the first time the Central African country has spoken about the involvement of its nationals in the ongoing war.
United24 Media: The Kremlin is attempting to purchase placements on Arabic-language Telegram channels as part of a broader information campaign targeting Ukraine.
RBC-Ukraine: Russian forces have been trying to capture Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region for nearly a year, but Ukrainian forces have successfully repelled all enemy attacks, said Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Reuters: Dutch lender ING said on Tuesday it had terminated the agreement to sell its Russian business to Moscow-based Global Development JSC, announced in January 2025. In a press release, the bank said the decision was made because it saw "no realistic expectation that the buyer will obtain the necessary approvals" for the deal.
worth mentioning
Ukraine must remain a priority amid Iran war, Estonian FM Margus Tsahkna tells RFE/RL
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