Overview

• Volodymyr Zelensky says he will meet Vladimir Putin only after Western partners define the security architecture within seven to ten days, with a bilateral session envisaged in one to two weeks and neutral venues such as Switzerland, Austria or Turkey under consideration while Budapest is ruled out.
• Russia’s Sergei Lavrov rejects any European troop presence in Ukraine, raises questions about Zelensky’s legitimacy as a negotiating partner, and stresses that any leader-level meeting must be prepared with great care.
• Ukraine reports Russia launched 574 drones and 40 missiles overnight, claiming to have downed 546 drones and 31 missiles; authorities cite at least one death in Lviv and multiple injuries across western cities including Mukachevo and Lutsk.
• Polish authorities are investigating an overnight explosion near the village of Osiny that created a five- to six-metre crater, with the defence minister calling it a Russian provocation and prosecutors assessing a high likelihood of a military drone.
• U.S. signals point to Europe taking the lead on guarantees, with President Donald Trump floating air support without ground troops and Vice President J.D. Vance saying Europeans should bear the larger share of the burden.