Overview

• After a Financial Times report said President Trump floated Chinese peacekeepers for a neutral zone, a senior U.S. official told Newsweek there has been no discussion of such a plan, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any Chinese role.
• Trump told The Daily Caller a trilateral session with himself, Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy is more likely than a direct Putin–Zelenskyy meeting, adding the sides may have to fight a little longer before talks can proceed.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin does not rule out a meeting with Zelenskyy but argued top-level talks require detailed expert groundwork that is not currently in full swing.
• Frictions with European leaders grew as Emmanuel Macron warned the world would soon see if Putin had played Trump, called Putin an ogre, and drew a sharp rebuke from Moscow, while U.S. officials told Axios some European capitals are urging Kyiv to hold out for tougher terms.
• Renewed Russian strikes, including large drone and missile barrages reported across Ukraine, have killed and injured civilians and further complicated efforts to launch negotiations.