Overview

• Donald Trump said he has begun arranging a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, and Germany’s Friedrich Merz said Putin agreed by phone to meet within roughly two weeks, with the venue still to be decided.
• Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready for a bilateral with Putin and expects a subsequent trilateral that includes Trump.
• Zelensky said partners plan to formalize security guarantees for Ukraine within a week to ten days, as Trump pledged U.S. involvement and “very good protection” likely outside formal NATO structures.
• European leaders pressed for a ceasefire and a formal role in guarantees, while Trump argued a pause in fighting is not required, on a day when a Russian drone strike killed seven people in Kharkiv.
• Press accounts citing an anonymous official reported Trump backed a Russian proposal to freeze lines and cede Donetsk and Luhansk, a claim not publicly confirmed by Washington or European leaders.