Europe live: Russia ‘does not deserve’ lifting of sanctions, Zelenskyy says, after deadly overnight strikes in Ukraine

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Morning opening: Russia ‘does not deserve’ lifting of sanctions after 16 dead in overnight strikes in Ukraine

Jakub Krupa

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia “does not deserve any easing … or lifting on sanctions” after an overnight attack killed 16 and wounded 100 people in Ukraine.

He said:

“Russia is betting on war, and the response must be exactly that: we must defend lives with all available means, and we must also apply pressure for the sake of peace with the same full force.”

Cars drive along Khreshchatyk Street as smoke rises above buildings in the background following an air attack in Kyiv. Photograph: Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images

Zelenskyy said nearly 700 Russian drones and 19 ballistic missiles were fired at Ukraine, targeting mostly the capital city of Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro.

There can be no normalisation of Russia as it is today. Pressure on Russia must work.

Separately, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte is due to meet with the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, and Germany’s Friedrich Merz will host Ireland’s Micheál Martin.

It’s Thursday, 16 April 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.

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