Overview

• U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to start immediate negotiations to resolve the Ukraine conflict, with a potential meeting planned in Saudi Arabia.
• European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, stress that any peace agreement must involve Ukraine and European nations to ensure its legitimacy and durability.
• Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasized the need for a just peace that respects Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, while rejecting compromises that undermine these principles.
• Criticism has emerged over the U.S. making preliminary concessions, such as ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine, before formal talks, with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius calling this approach premature.
• The U.S. has stated it will not deploy troops to Ukraine as part of any peacekeeping force, instead urging Europe to strengthen its defense commitments and provide robust security guarantees for Ukraine.