Overview
- The New York Times reports that President Donald Trump told aides in May that Russia "looks unbeatable" after watching footage of Moscow’s Victory Day parade.
- According to the Times, Trump has stressed that bargaining power lies with the stronger side in negotiations.
- The Times, citing a White House aide, says Trump concluded after the April end of an Easter truce that he had "completely overestimated" his ability to charm Vladimir Putin.
- The Kremlin says Vladimir Putin received U.S. envoy Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner on Dec. 2 for talks on a U.S. peace plan for Ukraine, with Washington presenting 27 points split into four packages.
- Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called the talks very substantive and said contacts will continue, while spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian battlefield successes have influenced the negotiations and narrowed Kyiv’s options.