Overview
- After their Florida meeting, Trump said the next few weeks could decide whether the war ends, while Zelensky said security guarantees are settled and further meetings in Washington are planned.
- Both leaders acknowledged the Donbas question remains open, as reporting described a U.S. idea to freeze current lines and create a demilitarized economic zone that Zelensky says must stay under Ukrainian control.
- Russia, via Sergey Lavrov, claimed Ukraine launched 91 long-range drones at Putin’s Novgorod residence with no damage reported; Ukraine forcefully denied the account and warned it could be a pretext for future strikes.
- Kremlin readouts said Putin cautioned Trump that a proposed 60‑day cease-fire risks dragging out the conflict and restated demands including Ukrainian withdrawals and renunciation of NATO membership.
- Trump said U.S. forces struck a large facility in Venezuela tied to drug routes, offering no operational details, and Venezuelan authorities had not commented; in Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar approved plans for 84 new schools by 2030, a 5,000‑home insulation push by Feb. 1, and the National Cancer Center conducted the country’s first robot‑assisted surgery.