Ukraine and the US are working on a "bilateral security agreement". "The strongest we have ever had"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily social media address on Sunday, April 28, that Kyiv and Washington are working on a joint security agreement.

"Ukraine and the United States are currently working on a bilateral security agreement, we are working on the wording of specific provisions"
Volodymyr Zelensky said.

He said that the goal is to make it "the strongest we have ever had." "We are discussing the specific foundations of our security and cooperation. We are also working on determining specific levels of support for this year and for the next ten years, including military, financial, political and joint arms production," he explained.

He added that "the agreement should be exemplary and reflect the strength of American leadership." "I am grateful to both our team and the American team for the progress in preparing the agreement," the Ukrainian president said.

General Staff of Ukraine: 131 clashes in 24 hours

Over the past 24 hours, Russian and Ukrainian troops have clashed 131 times. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that the heaviest fighting is taking place in the Donetsk region, near Avdiivka and Bakhmut. More than 120 towns in the Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Dnipro, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions came under artillery fire.

The Russians most frequently - 55 times - stormed Ukrainian positions in the vicinity of Avdiivka. Near Bakhmut, the Ukrainians repelled 29 Russian attacks, and near Lyman - 18. The Russians are also advancing in the Kherson region, near the city of Kupyansk, and are still trying to gain a foothold on the left bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region. They are also shelling Ukrainian positions.

Over the past day, they shelled more than 120 settlements in nine regions of eastern Ukraine - from Chernihiv and Sumy in the north to Kherson and Mykolaiv in the south of the country. They fired one missile, carried out 82 air strikes and 108 artillery attacks.

The Ukrainians are conducting a counteroffensive. On Sunday, their air forces attacked thirteen areas of concentration of Russian troops. Rocket troops, in turn, damaged one enemy checkpoint.

Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War reported in its Sunday report that "recent Russian gains northwest of Avdiivka have prompted Ukrainian forces to withdraw from other limited tactical positions along the front line west of Avdiivka." "It is unlikely that Russian forces will achieve deeper operational penetration in this area in the near future," the report says.

Zelensky appeals for air defense systems

On Saturday, the Ukrainian president once again appealed for air defense systems for Ukraine, which is fighting Russia, and for the speedy delivery of weapons. The appeal came after another Russian attack on Ukrainian energy facilities.

President Zelensky once again stressed that his country needs air defense systems and weapons to effectively protect cities from attacks and gain an advantage on the front line.

"Terror should always lose. And anyone who helps us fight the Russians is a true defender of life"
Zelensky stressed.

On Saturday night and early morning, the Russians struck Ukrainian power plants from the air. According to UNIAN, four facilities were seriously damaged. The most serious damage to the power grid, including power plants, was recorded in the Lviv, Dnipro and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.