Overview
- Putin said Russia would end the war only if Ukraine withdraws from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and renounces its NATO bid, echoing terms he set out in June 2024.
- He claimed Russian forces hold the strategic initiative and are advancing along the front, a battlefield assessment that remains unverified by independent sources.
- He asserted there are "signals" from Kyiv about dialogue but argued Ukraine is not ready to discuss territory, placing responsibility for peace on Ukraine and its allies.
- He warned that any NATO troops sent to Ukraine would be treated as legitimate targets.
- EU leaders approved a roughly $105 billion, two-year loan from the EU budget after Belgium blocked using frozen Russian assets, while US-backed envoys who met Ukrainian and European officials plan contacts with a Russian delegation.