What Ukraine's politics looked like on 18 April 2022

What was shaping Ukrainian politics on 18 April 2022? Reports from the preceding days point to a mix of diplomacy, arms deliveries, threats from Moscow and preparations for economic talks abroad.

Solidarity in Kyiv

On 13 April 2022, the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (Andrzej Duda, Gitanas Nausėda, Egils Levits and Alar Karis) arrived in Kyiv and met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. As reported at the time, the visit, which included the Mariinsky Palace, was meant to send a strong signal of shared European solidarity and to discuss continued political and military support for Ukraine. The leaders also visited sites of alleged war crimes in nearby Borodianka.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had also proposed travelling with them, but Kyiv considered the trip unwelcome. This was believed to be because of his close ties with Russia in earlier political posts.

Washington raises its language and its aid

On 12 April 2022, US President Joe Biden used the word "genocide" for the first time to describe events in Ukraine, at an event in Iowa. Zelenskyy called the gesture the real words of a real leader. He had himself first used the word on 3 April to describe the massacre in Bucha. The following day, Colombian President Iván Duque said in an interview that what was happening in Ukraine was genocide.

On 13 April 2022, the United States announced a further $800 million in weapons, ammunition and other security assistance. The package included 11 Mi-17 helicopters, 18 155-mm howitzers, 300 more Switchblade drones and radar systems able to track incoming fire and pinpoint its source. Some Biden administration officials had considered such a step too risky in terms of escalation only weeks earlier.

Threats from Moscow

The same day, Russia's defence ministry said it would begin to target Ukrainian "decision-makers", including Zelenskyy, and command centres in Kyiv if Ukrainian forces continued to attack Russian territory. Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said US and NATO vehicles carrying weapons on Ukrainian territory were "legal military targets".

A high-profile detention

On 12 April 2022, Zelenskyy announced on Telegram that Viktor Medvedchuk, a key pro-Russian Ukrainian politician and oligarch, had been detained in a Security Service of Ukraine special operation. Zelenskyy said he planned to use Medvedchuk in a future exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Talks and the economy

On 14 April 2022, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Turkey was still working to organise a possible meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On 15 April 2022, Ukraine announced that a senior delegation would travel to Washington for the meetings of the IMF and the World Bank the following week. It included Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and National Bank head Kyrylo Shevchenko. The discussions were to focus on the Russian invasion and its effect on the global economy.

The wider economic fallout was visible elsewhere. On 14 April 2022, Egypt's agriculture minister said India had approved Egyptian wheat imports because of the shortage caused by the invasion.

Taken together, the reports from the days around 18 April 2022 show Kyiv seeking sustained backing abroad, receiving heavier military aid and facing explicit threats, while preparing to take its case on the economy to international financial institutions.