Overview
- Volodymyr Zelensky said talks produced progress on legally binding U.S. security guarantees modeled on NATO’s Article 5 without granting Ukraine NATO membership.
- Washington’s envoys continue to press for Kyiv to give up the remaining Ukrainian‑held parts of the Donbass, a demand Ukraine rejects and most European leaders oppose.
- European leaders meeting in Berlin proposed a U.S.-supported multinational force for Ukraine, a ceasefire monitoring mechanism led by the United States, and maintaining peacetime forces at about 800,000 troops, though the United States did not sign the document.
- President Donald Trump declared an agreement has never been closer, as U.S. negotiators joined a working dinner with Zelensky and European leaders and described the proposed guarantees as very strong.
- The EU is weighing the use of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction this week, while the Kremlin calls non‑NATO status a cornerstone of any deal and signals likely objections.