Overview

• After hosting Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, President Donald Trump publicly urged Ukraine and Russia to "stop where they are" and pursue a deal based on current battle lines.
• Zelenskyy sought long-range U.S. Tomahawk missiles but departed without an agreement, as Trump labeled the missiles an escalation and said the U.S. prefers to end the war without them.
• Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed in principle to meet soon in Budapest, with U.S. and Russian advisers preparing talks; Zelenskyy said he is ready to attend and pressed Trump to increase pressure on Moscow.
• The Kremlin warned that any U.S. decision to provide Tomahawks would mark a new stage of escalation, while Trump also cited concerns about preserving U.S. missile stockpiles.
• Russian strikes have intensified against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, triggering blackouts, as the IAEA announced a localized ceasefire near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to enable power line repairs.