Overview
- Multiple outlets describe a volatile White House meeting in which Trump cursed, brushed aside frontline maps and warned Zelenski that Putin would “destroy” Ukraine if Kyiv rejected Moscow’s terms.
- Reporting says Putin proposed trading a withdrawal from parts of Kherson and Zaporizhia for Ukraine ceding the entire Donbas, an idea Ukraine rejects and whose exact terms have not been formally set out.
- Zelenski says he is prepared to attend talks in Budapest if invited, with preparatory contacts between U.S. and Russian foreign ministers reported as planning for the summit continues.
- Bulgaria signaled it would permit Russian overflight to facilitate Putin’s travel to Budapest, while EU leaders voiced concern, with Josep Borrell alleging a prior Trump-Putin understanding and Kaja Kallas stressing Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
- Trump declined to provide Tomahawk missiles, and Ukraine is pursuing a deal to acquire up to 25 Patriot air-defense systems via manufacturers, potentially financed with frozen Russian assets, alongside plans to secure U.S. LNG supplies.