Overview
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that security guarantees for Ukraine should be decided by Kyiv and its partners without Moscow shaping the terms.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected that view as a "dead-end position" and said security guarantees cannot be formulated without Russia’s participation.
- The European Union imposed sanctions on VK over its MAX messaging app, accusing the company of supplying technical support used to repress civil society and opposition.
- The Kremlin called the VK sanctions "utterly absurd," denied that MAX is a surveillance tool, and said sanctions will not stop the app’s development while critics say the platform aids state surveillance.
- The standoff deepens a wider diplomatic impasse that could limit European roles in any settlement, complicate efforts to deliver Western guarantees that Ukraine seeks, and heighten political friction through tech-targeted measures.