Situation Reports

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting on April 11 in St. Petersburg that Russia was prepared to freeze its invasion along the current frontlines in Ukraine as part of an effort to reach a U.S.-mediated peace deal, the Finacial Times reported on April 22, citing people familiar with the officials’ discussion.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin was prepared to evaluate an offer from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop attacks against civilian infrastructure, The Guardian reported on April 22.

The Philippines significantly eased restrictions on engagement with Taiwan by allowing Philippine officials to host Taiwanese officials and by allowing Taiwanese delegations to visit the island, though Manila maintained prior prohibitions on top national security leaders like the president and defense minister, Nikkei Asia reported on April 22.

The South Sudanese government recaptured the town of Nasir from the Nuer-led White Army militia, Reuters reported on April 21.

The United States imposed antidumping and countervailing duties ranging from an effective 0% to 3,521% on solar panels and modules imported from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, according to U.S. Commerce Department data published on April 22, with rates on the affected exporting companies depending on their level of cooperation with the U.S. investigation.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that European countries have communicated to the United States their key non-negotiable positions regarding any prospective peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, ahead of renewed talks scheduled for April 23 in London, Reuters reported April 22.

The United States Homeland Security Department announced it will air TV and internet ads across the country and abroad incentivizing undocumented migrants to "self deport" and others not to enter the country illegally, La Jornada reported April 21.

Syria detained two Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders: Khaled Khaled, head of PIJ operations in Syria, and Yasser al-Zafari, head of PIJ's organizational committee, Reuters reported on April 22, citing PIJ and a Syrian official.

Heavily armed gunmen attacked the construction site of a Chinese-owned hydroelectric plant in Chile's central southern province of Biobio, setting fire to 48 trucks and three other pieces of heavy earth-moving equipment, Radio Bio-Bio reported on April 20.

China's navy intercepted and expelled a Philippine naval frigate near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on April 20, the South China Morning Post reported the next day.