Overview

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated he is open to negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin if it is the only way to achieve peace, calling such talks a 'compromise.'
• The Kremlin dismissed Zelensky's remarks as 'empty words,' citing a 2022 decree banning direct talks with Putin and questioning Zelensky's legitimacy due to postponed elections under martial law.
• Zelensky revealed that over 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died and 390,000 have been injured since the start of Russia's invasion, marking rare disclosure of Ukrainian losses.
• Donald Trump, now back in the White House, has proposed Ukraine provide rare earth minerals as repayment for U.S. financial and military aid, a suggestion criticized by both Kyiv and Moscow.
• Russian forces reportedly captured two more villages in Ukraine's east and northeast, continuing their advances as the nearly three-year conflict persists.