Overview

• Trump said he spoke again with Putin after last week’s Washington meetings and voiced confidence the war can be ended, while lamenting continued strikes in Ukraine.
• Moscow denied that Putin agreed to a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused the Kremlin of a delay strategy and warned of more EU pressure if talks stall.
• Merz said a Trump-hosted trilateral with Putin and Zelenskyy could follow if a bilateral fails, as allied governments emphasize the need for credible security guarantees for Ukraine.
• Vice President J. D. Vance asserted Russia has made significant concessions in the U.S.-led track and reiterated there will be no U.S. ground troops, claims Russia has not publicly validated.
• The Pentagon’s review continues to constrain Ukrainian use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS against targets in Russia, while Ukrainian drones forced several Russian airports, including St. Petersburg’s, to restrict operations.