Overview
- Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, President Trump called for an immediate halt to fighting along the current lines and said the Donbass should be left as it is with negotiations to follow.
- Trump rejected reports that he told President Selenskyj to hand over the entire Donbass, though Financial Times and Reuters accounts described a heated meeting where he allegedly pushed concessions after a call with Putin.
- U.S. officials did not approve Ukraine’s request for Tomahawk cruise missiles during the visit, with Vice President JD Vance saying the decision is not final, and Selenskyj subsequently requested 25 Patriot air-defense systems.
- EU leaders criticized any push for Ukrainian territorial concessions, as ministers prepared new Russia sanctions and advanced plans to use proceeds from frozen Russian assets for a large reparations-style loan to Kyiv.
- Preparations for a possible Trump–Putin meeting in Budapest continued with no date set, the Kremlin said talks are at an early stage, and Trump said he does not believe Ukraine will win the war, though he allowed it could still happen.