Overview

• Trump urged a preliminary Putin–Zelensky face‑to‑face and said he could join later, telling Fox News that Ukraine should show “flexibility” on Crimea, Donbas and NATO ambitions.
• Trump ruled out deploying U.S. ground troops and directed planners to develop U.S. Air Force cooperation options with NATO as allied chiefs met by video to discuss possible security guarantees.
• Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said any lasting deal must respect Russia’s security interests and involve Moscow in guarantees, adding that leader‑level meetings require careful expert‑level preparation.
• Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed captures of Sukhetske and Pankivka in Donetsk and Novogeorgiivka in Dnipropetrovsk, while Ukraine reported more than 60 drones and a ballistic missile overnight, civilian casualties and strikes on infrastructure.
• Moscow lauded Trump’s Oval Office map highlighting Russian‑held areas as pressure on Kyiv, summit logistics and timing remained unsettled, and the Financial Times reported Ukraine plans major U.S. arms purchases largely financed by Europe.