Overview
- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a substantive call with US envoys Steve Uitkoff and Jared Kushner after their Kremlin meeting, and Axios reported progress on security guarantees while territorial discussions remained difficult.
- US special envoy Kit Kellogg identified the status of Donetsk and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as the decisive issues and said the United States does not intend to deploy troops to Ukraine.
- Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said US officials assured Moscow that any deal reached by President Trump would be “ironclad” and argued that recent Russian battlefield gains improved the atmosphere for talks.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry reported significant Ukrainian losses and activity around Kupyansk, and authorities said air defenses downed 77 drones overnight, including 42 over Saratov, with several regional airports briefly suspending operations.
- Bloomberg reported that recent EU–US–Ukraine consultations were tough, with Europeans considering options if Washington steps back and discussing amendments concerning troop levels, the Zaporizhzhia plant and territorial questions.