Overview
- Vladimir Putin told India Today, as relayed by TASS, that Russia will take the Donbas by force unless Ukrainian troops withdraw, reinforcing a hard line on occupied territories.
- A U.S.-drafted peace framework reported as 28 points remains in dispute after a five-hour Kremlin meeting with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with adviser Yuri Ushakov saying there was no compromise.
- Ukraine insists it will not cede sovereign land, as Rustem Umerov leads fresh consultations with U.S. teams following recent delegation changes and Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefs European partners.
- Der Spiegel reported from a leaked call that Emmanuel Macron warned of potential U.S. betrayal on territorial issues, a depiction the Élysée denied, underscoring strains with European allies.
- In Washington, President Donald Trump presided over a Rwanda–DRC signing that includes U.S. access to critical minerals, yet M23 fighting and instability around Goma and Bukavu persisted after the ceremony.