Overview
- Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is disappointed that Washington altered proposals discussed in Anchorage and has not lifted sanctions, despite Kremlin claims of “understandings” from those talks.
- U.S.-mediated meetings in Abu Dhabi yielded an agreement to exchange more than 300 prisoners, but negotiators reported no breakthroughs on key issues, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Washington set an informal June target for a deal.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc is preparing a list of demands for Russia, including the return of abducted Ukrainian children and limits on Russian forces, reflecting concern that European and Ukrainian interests are not fully protected in the U.S.-led track.
- Estonia’s foreign intelligence chief assessed that Russia is using talks to buy time and believes it can outmaneuver the United States, underscoring Western skepticism about Moscow’s intent to end the war.
- Russian forces continued strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure, with fresh attacks reported on gas assets in Poltava and rail targets in northern regions, deadly drone hits in Kharkiv, and ongoing adaptation of Shahed drones with air-to-air missiles.