Overview

• President Trump set a 10- to 12-day deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a Ukraine ceasefire, but Moscow has neither acknowledged the demand nor shifted its war aims.
• Russian forces exploit Iranian-designed Shahed drones adapted with Chinese components in massed swarm attacks that have yielded Moscow’s fastest front-line advances in over a year.
• Senate leadership has withheld a bipartisan sanctions bill backed by 85 senators, deferring to the president’s ultimatum and leaving secondary tariffs on Russia’s trade partners in limbo.
• Kyiv arrested two Chinese nationals on espionage charges and sanctioned five Chinese firms accused of supplying full weapons systems to Russia, escalating tensions with Beijing.
• Observers caution that ceasefire clocks alone cannot secure peace without mutual trust, enforceable guarantees and effective monitoring on the ground.