Overview

• The US president shifted from demanding an immediate ceasefire to pursuing a comprehensive peace deal that could include formal recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accepted a short-notice invitation to meet Trump in Washington, with plans for a possible trilateral summit with Putin under discussion.
• EU leaders issued a joint declaration affirming that Ukraine alone determines its borders and rejecting any Russian veto over its path to EU or NATO membership.
• Discussions are underway on NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine outside formal membership and on deploying a European-led reassurance force, with the US ruling out American troop commitments.
• Humanitarian concerns over the forcible transfer of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia have intensified, highlighted by reports of Melania Trump’s letter delivered to Putin.