Overview

• President Trump set a ten-day ultimatum expiring Friday for Russia to end its military offensive in Ukraine or face unspecified new sanctions
• Special envoy Steve Witkoff departed Wednesday for high-stakes negotiations with Kremlin officials despite fixed Russian demands for Ukrainian territory
• Two U.S. nuclear submarines remain deployed in the region following provocation by Dmitri Medvedev, a show of force the Kremlin describes as routine
• Trump warned of secondary tariffs on nations trading with Russia, including China and India, to tighten economic pressure on Moscow
• Russian forces continue their offensive unabated, while European allies coordinate fresh arms purchases to support Ukraine’s defense