Overview

• White House talks ended without a peace accord or ceasefire, and Trump said he would call Vladimir Putin after the meetings to gauge next steps.
• Volodymyr Zelensky has maintained that Ukraine cannot legally cede Donbas or Crimea, though he sidestepped the question during the Oval Office press availability.
• Security guarantees for Kyiv dominated the agenda, with Article 5–style commitments discussed and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff calling reported Russian openness to such guarantees “decisive.”
• European leaders including Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni, Alexander Stubb, Ursula von der Leyen and NATO’s Mark Rutte traveled to Washington to back Kyiv and resist forced territorial concessions.
• A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv killed six people, including an 18‑month‑old and a 16‑year‑old, underscoring the ongoing combat that complicates verification and ceasefire plans.