Overview

• Putin said he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy only in a “final phase” of negotiations and insisted any peace deal must be signed by a legally recognized authority.
• Russian forces launched fresh drone and missile attacks on Kyiv on June 17–18, killing at least 28 civilians and injuring more than 150 as emergency teams continued search and recovery efforts.
• At the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Putin offered to broker a settlement between Iran and Israel that would secure Tehran’s peaceful nuclear ambitions while addressing Israeli security concerns.
• President Trump rejected Russia’s offer to mediate the Israel–Iran war, telling Putin to “mediate your own” conflict in Ukraine before taking on other peace efforts.
• NATO is set to approve a plan next week to bolster military capacity across Europe in response to Russia’s stepped-up offensive, a buildup Putin says does not threaten Russian security.