Overview

• After calls with both leaders, Trump said he has begun preparations for a Putin–Zelensky meeting within about two weeks, to be followed by a three-way summit including him if progress is made.
• Zelensky said he is ready to meet and thanked Trump for his efforts, while stressing that Russia must not be rewarded for the invasion.
• European leaders pressed to be included in any post-agreement framework, with Friedrich Merz urging a ceasefire before the next session and Emmanuel Macron proposing a subsequent format that brings Europe into security talks.
• Trump pledged that the United States would be involved in Ukraine’s future security and promised “very good protection,” with guarantees potentially devised outside NATO and details still undefined.
• Fighting continued as a Russian drone strike killed seven in Kharkiv, and separate reporting described unconfirmed proposals on territorial lines and a roughly $100 billion Ukrainian purchase of U.S. arms financed by Europe.