Overview

• NATO’s Mark Rutte said the United States agreed in principle to coordinate Article‑5‑style assurances with European partners, with specifics on obligations and enforcement to be drafted soon.
• President Trump said he phoned Vladimir Putin to begin preparing a meeting with Volodymyr Selenskyj, while the Kremlin spoke only of elevating delegation‑level talks as Selenskyj signaled readiness to meet without preconditions.
• European leaders led by Germany’s Friedrich Merz, backed by Emmanuel Macron, pressed for a weapons pause before further talks, but Trump said “we can work on a deal while they fight” and showed no willingness to add sanctions.
• Moscow rejected any NATO troops as peacekeepers after a truce and linked acceptance of guarantees for Ukraine to credible assurances for Russia’s own security.
• A US‑led drafting effort, reported to be coordinated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will work with European advisers on concrete mechanisms as Berlin warns that additional troop deployments would likely overburden the Bundeswehr.