Overview
- President Trump dispatched a senior Pentagon team to Kyiv, including Army Secretary Dan Driskoll and two four‑star generals, for meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials, with additional contacts with Russian counterparts expected, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- Axios reports the administration held secret consultations on a 28‑point plan led by Steve Witkoff and discussed with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, with details on territorial issues undisclosed and a prospective Trump–Putin meeting in Budapest floated by Russian interlocutors.
- Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal’s bipartisan bill would impose secondary sanctions and steep penalties, including 500% tariffs, on countries buying Russian oil, gas or uranium; Graham says Congress is ready to advance it.
- A senior White House official told Reuters the president would consider signing the sanctions bill only if it contains a provision granting him final authority over whether measures are imposed.
- Political tensions in Kyiv intensified as opposition lawmakers blocked the Rada podium and demanded broader cabinet changes following an NABU energy‑sector probe, while the chamber summoned the prime minister and two ministers and motions to dismiss the energy and justice ministers were placed on the agenda.