Overview
- The planned in-person meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was put on hold, with U.S. officials citing unresolved gaps and Moscow saying more preparation is required.
- The delay clouds the timing of a Trump–Putin meeting in Budapest, as Moscow labeled a Rubio–Lavrov call “constructive” and Washington framed it as groundwork for potential future engagements.
- European and Ukrainian leaders issued a joint statement endorsing an immediate halt to fighting as a basis for talks while rejecting any changes to international borders, and moved forward on using frozen Russian assets and an EU 19th sanctions package targeting enforcement such as the shadow fleet.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to join talks in Budapest if invited and will meet partners in Brussels and London this week to seek security guarantees and coordinate support.
- Zelensky said Ukraine is preparing a contract to buy 25 Patriot air-defense systems after his Washington visit, no Tomahawk deal was reached, and Trump voiced doubts about Ukraine’s chances even as reports of him urging land concessions were denied by the White House.