Overview

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told NBC there are no plans for a leaders’ meeting, saying Putin would meet only once an agenda is ready and publicly questioning Volodymyr Zelenskyj’s authority to sign a deal.
• The White House says President Trump is working to arrange a direct Putin–Zelenskyj encounter, while Trump suggested the effort will be reassessed within two weeks if progress remains limited.
• Zelenskyj urged moving from constant defense to attack and echoed Trump’s call for offensive pressure, as Ukraine reported counterattacks near Pokrowsk and a strike that heavily damaged Russia’s Unecha oil pump station; the battlefield claims were not independently verified.
• Kyiv reported one of the heaviest Russian barrages in weeks, saying nearly 600 drones and dozens of rockets were launched and a US-owned electronics plant in western Ukraine was hit, injuring workers.
• Debate over postwar security guarantees intensified, with EU’s Kaja Kallas warning against territorial concessions and backing robust assurances as proposals range from a European troop presence to Russia’s push for UN veto-power guarantees, and Trump indicating no US ground forces but possible air support.