Overview
- Vladimir Putin said Ukrainian forces must withdraw from the Donbas or Russia will seize the region by force, reiterating plans to hold Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as Russia claims roughly 85% control of the Donbas.
- Ukraine rejected any territorial concessions, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha calling the Moscow dialogue a waste of time and President Volodymyr Zelensky urging that negotiations be backed by pressure on Russia.
- U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian officials on a multi-point peace proposal reportedly totaling 27–28 items, but Putin acknowledged unresolved disagreements and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the meetings produced no commitments.
- A Der Spiegel report described a confidential call in which European leaders voiced concern the United States could trade away Ukrainian territory without clear security guarantees, with the Élysée later denying the phrasing attributed to Emmanuel Macron and others declining public comment.
- Frontline attacks continued with Ukrainian officials reporting civilian deaths in Donetsk and Kherson, while analysis cited by CNN from the Institute for the Study of War suggests any full Russian takeover of the Donbas could stretch into 2027.