Overview
- Ukraine delivered a revised 20-point framework to the United States, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said any territorial concessions must be decided by Ukrainians through elections or a referendum.
- U.S. negotiators have floated a Donbas “free economic zone” that would require Ukrainian troop withdrawals, a concept Kyiv questions, while President Donald Trump said the idea would work.
- The White House said it could send a representative to talks in Europe this weekend only if there is a real chance to sign a deal, citing the president’s frustration with meetings that yield no progress.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Europe is Russia’s next target and urged allies to rapidly expand defense spending and production to deter a wider conflict.
- Ukraine said it retook parts of Kupiansk as Zelenskyy visited the area and linked gains to diplomatic leverage, while Ukrainian drones struck Lukoil’s Caspian oil platforms and the EU agreed to indefinitely freeze about €210 billion in Russian sovereign assets.