Overview
- In a joint statement, leaders of Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Norway, EU chiefs and President Volodymyr Zelensky backed an immediate stop to fighting with the contact line as the basis for negotiations.
- The Kremlin said its position remains unchanged after Trump’s call, having resisted ceasefire pauses and pressed for broader territorial concessions.
- A proposed Trump–Putin meeting in Budapest remains unscheduled, with CNN reporting a delay after Rubio and Lavrov failed to bridge differences in a call.
- The EU is preparing steps to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, working on an additional sanctions package, and agreed to target an end to Russian gas imports by 2027.
- On the ground, authorities reported widespread blackouts in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region and accused Russia of using drones to obstruct repairs as winter approaches.