The UN has confirmed that 1,232 Ukrainian civilians have been killed with 1,935 injured, going into over a month into the Ukraine crisis. Virtual peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have resumed following a face-to-face meeting in Turkey late March.

"A decision was made to radically, by a large margin, reduce military activity in the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions," Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin told reporters last Tuesday.

For next week, more discussions within NATO are expected. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to virtually address the Irish and Greek lawmakers, respectively.

Ukraine update 

According to AFP reports on Sunday, Ukraine's top negotiator said that Moscow had "verbally" agreed to key Ukrainian proposals. 

Negotiator David Arakhamia told Ukrainian television channels that any meeting between President Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would "with a high probability" take place in Turkey. 

"The Russian Federation has given an official answer to all positions, which is that they accept the (Ukrainian) position, except for the issue of Crimea," Arakhamia said. 

Last Tuesday, Russia said it has decided to drastically cut military activities in Kyiv and Chernihiv in Ukraine, after talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey. 

The head of Russia's negotiation team, Vladimir Medinsky, revealed this afternoon that talks with Ukraine will resume on Monday. 

Medinsky added that Russia's position on Crimea and Donbas remains unchanged, and that no draft peace agreement is sufficiently advanced to warrant a presidential-level meeting. 

Day by day: 

Monday: Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra meets Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in Athens. Chile's president Gabriel Boric arrives in Argentina for his first trip abroad after being sworn in. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock meets counterpart of Singapore.  

Tuesday: Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will meet his counterparts from Israel and Cyprus, Yair Lapid and Ioannis Kasoulides in Athens.   

Wednesday: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomes Czech counterpart Petr Fiala at Bellevue Castle in Berlin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address joint sitting of both Irish houses of parliament.   

Thursday: NATO foreign ministers gather in Brussels for a meeting to discuss the alliance's response to the Ukraine crisis. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address Greek parliament via teleconference.  

Friday: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz travels to London to meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visits Bulgaria for EU's coronavirus recovery plan.  

Saturday: A quiet day in politics.  

Sunday: First round of France's presidential election.