Overview

• Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Vladivostok that Russia will not discuss any foreign deployment in Ukraine in any format, calling the idea unacceptable.
• Her comments followed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s statement to the Financial Times that Europe had “pretty precise plans” for a multinational presence as part of post-conflict guarantees.
• Germany’s defence minister has dismissed von der Leyen’s remarks as premature, underscoring divisions within Europe over any such mission.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due in Paris on Thursday for talks with European leaders on security guarantees, with President Emmanuel Macron saying the details are worked out but remain confidential.
• Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on peace terms, as Russia insists any deal include territory it claims and Ukraine rejects ceding land, while U.S. President Donald Trump is set to speak with Zelenskyy on Thursday and plans a call with Vladimir Putin.