Overview
- After releasing a new National Security Strategy, the U.S. president labeled Europe weak and in decline in a Politico interview and said Ukraine should hold elections now.
- Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to organize a presidential vote if security can be guaranteed, asking the United States and European partners to help and tasking lawmakers to explore wartime legal changes.
- Zelensky plans to transmit an updated proposal to Washington, with the U.S. peace outline condensed from 28 to 20 points and split across security guarantees and reconstruction documents, as reporting indicates initial U.S. ideas involved territorial concessions.
- EU leaders condemned what they called a threat of interference in European politics, and the Pope cautioned that pursuing peace in Ukraine without Europe’s involvement is not realistic.
- The Kremlin welcomed Trump’s remarks as consistent with its view of the conflict, while Kiel Institute data warned new European military allocations to Ukraine could fall to their lowest 2025 level.