Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has spoken by phone with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to discuss fresh EU sanctions on Russia for its war in Ukraine.
"Areas of support for Ukraine were touched upon during the call, in particular, the need to prepare the 11th package of sanctions against Russia," Zelenskiy's office said an April 4.
On February 24, a day that marked the anniversary of the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU adopted the 10th package of sanctions since the start of the war. That contained "targeted restricted measures against individuals and entities supporting the war, spreading propaganda or delivering drones used by Russia in the war."
Von der Leyen tweeted after the meeting that Ukraine will be an important topic during her meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron will visit China from April 5 to April 7.
Overnight, Russia launched a wave of Iranian-made drones on the southwestern region of Odesa, causing damage to civilian infrastructure but without casualties, the Ukrainian military said early on April 4, as fighting for the control of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region continued despite Russian claims that it had captured the city.
A total of 17 Shahed drones were launched on Odesa region, and "14 of them were destroyed by the air defense force of the southern command," the Ukrainian Air Force reported in its morning update.
Reports on social media said that loud explosions could be heard in Odesa.
"A drone hit one civilian facility in the Odesa region, causing a fire that the rescuers managed to eliminate by morning. There were no casualties," said Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the region's military administration.
Russia has denied hitting civilian targets despite having launched numerous attacks on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure since October, causing casualties and extensive damage to electricity supply lines that left millions of Ukrainians without light or heating during the cold season.
In the east, the Russian military continued to launch repeated assaults on Bakhmut, the mining city in the eastern region of Donetsk that has been the focal point of the battle to control the Donbas.
Faced with stiff Ukrainian resistance in Bakhmut, Russian forces have extended their directions of attack toward other cities in Donetsk such as Lyman, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka.
Ukrainian defenders repelled 69 Russian attacks over the past day, with "the fiercest battles continuing in Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka," Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily report on April 4.
The Russian Army is continuing its unsuccessful attempts to take full control of Bakhmut, it said.
The latest battle report came as a U.S. official said the fight for the battle-devastated city is not over, despite claims by Wagner that the Russian mercenary force had captured the center of Bakhmut.
'Should Have Left Earlier': Ukrainian Soldiers Rescue Desperate Civilians Around Bakhmut
John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, told reportersvon April 3 that the Ukrainian military had not been driven out of Bakhmut. He described fighting there as "quite, quite violent and quite close."
"Even if the Russians do get it, it isn't going to change the battlefield dynamics from a strategic perspective," Kirby said, reflecting views in the West that the city holds more of a symbolic value for Moscow seeking a victory to hail than actual strategic worth.
WATCH: At a "stabilization point" near Bakhmut, Ukrainian medics fight to save the lives of soldiers injured in the fighting.
Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on April 3 that he had held another meeting with senior military commanders and that "the preparation of active measures for the liberation of Ukrainian lands" was in full swing, but did not explicitly mention an anticipated counteroffensive.
"Full meeting. Full coordination. Full preparation of our active actions for the sake of liberating Ukrainian lands," he said.
