A Soviet-era spacecraft meant to land on Venus in the 1970s is expected to soon plunge uncontrolled back to Earth. It’s too early to know where the half-ton mass of metal might come down or how much of it will survive reentry, according to space debris-tracking experts. Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek predicts the failed spacecraft will reenter around May 10. He estimates it will come crashing in at 150 mph (242 kph), if it remains intact. “While not without risk, we should not be too worried,” Langbroek said in an email. The object is relatively small and, even if it doesn’t break apart, “the risk is similar to that of a random meteorite fall, several of which happen each year. You run a bigger risk of getting hit by lightning in your lifetime,” he said.

The Kremlin has responded to the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal.
According to a New York Post report, the Kremlin unloaded on the U.S. and Ukraine on Thursday after the two countries finalized a deal for Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
A deal that gives the U.S. a vested interest in the war’s outcome.
“Trump has finally pressured the Kiev regime to pay for US aid with mineral resources,” Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Telegram. “Now, the country that is about to disappear will have to use its national wealth to pay for military supplies.”
From The New York Post:

President Trump has enacted a long-anticipated initiative that ties future American military support for Ukraine to a new bilateral investment arrangement based on Ukraine’s natural resources — effectively shifting the financial burden away from U.S. taxpayers.
After prolonged discussions, Washington and Kyiv finalized the agreement on Wednesday. The deal sets up a jointly managed investment fund backed in part by revenue from Ukraine’s sale of oil, gas, and mineral rights licenses. Both nations will share the profits equally.
Instead of contributing cash, the United States can apply the dollar value of any military hardware, advanced systems, or tactical training it provides to Ukraine as a credit toward its share of the investment, as laid out in the agreement.

The United States is pulling back from its role in brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine, according to a statement Thursday from a senior State Department official.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters that the U.S. “will not be the mediators” going forward. Her comments reflect President Trump’s growing dissatisfaction with the stagnant negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian governments.
“We are not going to fly around the world at the drop of a hat to mediate meetings,” Bruce said, emphasizing that while the U.S. still supports a peaceful resolution, it will no longer take the lead.