Overview

• After a tense White House meeting, Trump declined for now to authorize long-range Tomahawks and floated a ceasefire based on freezing forces “where they are.”
• A Trump–Putin call reopened direct diplomacy, with a face-to-face planned in Budapest within weeks and U.S. aides led by Marco Rubio preparing the ground.
• The Washington Post, citing two senior U.S. officials, reported that Putin asked for Ukraine to cede Donetsk as a condition for ending the war, a demand Kyiv rejects.
• European leaders launched rapid coordination, including a proposed joint peace plan and urgent allied security consultations, while additional EU sanctions are under consideration.
• Ukraine’s power system suffered heavy strikes that wiped out an estimated 60% of domestic gas output, forcing a search for about €2 billion to buy fuel before winter.