Overview

• Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it supports the U.S. administration’s 20‑point Gaza blueprint focused on a ceasefire, the release of captives and restored humanitarian access, urging full implementation.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the proposal the best currently on the table in terms of Arab acceptability and lack of outright rejection by Israel.
• Financial Times reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu edited elements of the U.S. plan, including troop redeployment timing and the future role of the Palestinian Authority, prompting concern among Arab interlocutors as mediated talks proceed in Sharm el‑Sheikh.
• President Donald Trump told reporters the parties are very close to a Gaza deal and that he expects to be personally needed in the negotiations soon.
• In parallel regional moves, Vladimir Putin arrived in Dushanbe for a three‑day state visit featuring talks with President Emomali Rahmon and a meeting with Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev alongside Russia–Central Asia and CIS summits, while Turkic leaders advanced an ‘OTS Plus’ outreach concept and heard a 2026 joint drills proposal from Azerbaijan.