Overview
- A Russian Foreign Ministry memo cited by the Financial Times restated demands for Ukrainian territorial concessions, limits on Kyiv’s armed forces, and a guarantee Ukraine will not join NATO.
- U.S. officials decided to cancel the Budapest meeting after Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded from a call with Sergey Lavrov that Russia showed no willingness to negotiate.
- Accounts diverge on the meeting’s status, with U.S. reports calling it canceled as the Kremlin says it never agreed and spokesman Dmitry Peskov now portraying it as a postponement dependent on Washington.
- Following the collapse of the planned talks, the United States announced sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, signaling a tougher posture toward Moscow.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected any troop reductions or withdrawals sought by Russia, and the U.S. supports an immediate ceasefire along current front lines.