Pope Francis urges peace and truth in Easter message regarding Ukraine and Middle East.

Pope Francis appeals to Russians to seek the truth about their country's invasion of Ukraine in his Easter message. The US will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar, and new weapons to help Kyiv counter drones in the coming months. Chinese President Xi Jinping tells French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that a "political settlement" is the only correct way out of the Ukraine crisis. Russia's refusal to give consular access to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is "inexcusable," says U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Finland formally joins NATO as Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto completes the accession process by handing over an official document to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the military alliance's headquarters in Brussels.