In a video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Russia has rejected a proposal for a truce over the Orthodox Easter period this weekend, adding though that he still hopes there will be peace. The Easter service begins on Saturday evening and lasts until Sunday morning. Volodymyr Zelensky has also denied statements by the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin that the strategically vital port city of Mariupol fell to the Russian military on Thursday. The city was surrounded by Russian troops shortly after the Russian invasion began, was bombed and almost completely destroyed. About 120,000 civilians were unable to leave Mariupol. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has pledged $ 800 million in additional weapons to Ukraine and said he would ask Congress for more money to help the Ukrainian military. On the ground, Russian forces have occupied 42 villages in the eastern part of the Donetsk region, according to a Ukrainian official, and are advancing towards Kramatorsk, which continues to be hit by rockets. The mayor of Kharkov, the second largest city in Ukraine, says the city is under heavy bombardment. Moscow continues its offensive in Donetsk and Luhansk, trying to expand its control in the eastern regions.
Eugen Cojocariu, Radio Romania International
