Overview

• In a video address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine must move off constant defense and launch attacks to pressure Russia, echoing President Trump's post that wars are rarely won without striking the invader.
• Ukrainian forces reported counterattacks in the Sumy region and near Pokrovsk with several settlements retaken, though those claims have not been independently verified, while recent Russian strikes hit cities including Lviv and Zaporizhzhia.
• U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance praised Vladimir Putin as "gentler in tone" and said he told Zelenskyy, "as long as you behave, I will say nothing," and he recounted Trump placing a spontaneous call to Putin during White House talks reportedly concerning a child taken by Russia.
• Kyiv says it is keeping diplomatic channels open but rejects a security model where UN Security Council veto powers, including Russia, would guarantee peace, as Moscow remains noncommittal about a direct Putin–Zelenskyy meeting.
• A Civey poll reported in Germany found 51% oppose sending Bundeswehr troops to Ukraine as part of a post-war mission, with Green Party voters the most supportive of such a deployment.