Overview
- Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived for Kremlin talks carrying a trimmed U.S. proposal of roughly 19–20 points after U.S.–Ukraine sessions in Florida were described as productive but left core disputes unresolved.
- Key sticking points include territorial control, security guarantees linked to NATO, and limits on Ukrainian forces, with the White House expressing optimism while acknowledging difficult gaps remain.
- Russia declared it had captured Pokrovsk and touted gains elsewhere, but Ukraine rejected the claims and reported continuing battles in the city, with the timing of Moscow’s statements coinciding with the U.S. visit.
- A Russian ballistic missile strike on Dnipro killed four and wounded about 40, and earlier strikes around Kyiv left at least one dead and more than a dozen injured, as Zelenskyy reported a sharp rise in drone and missile attacks.
- Putin accused European allies of obstructing talks and warned Russia was ready if Europe initiated conflict, while leaders such as Kaja Kallas and Emmanuel Macron stressed that Europe must be involved and that only Ukraine can decide on its territory.