Overview
- In a Politico interview, President Trump urged Volodymyr Zelensky to "conclude an accord" and said it was "unimaginable" for the Ukrainian leader to be an obstacle.
- Trump repeated his view that Zelensky "doesn't have the cards in hand" and asserted that Vladimir Putin is "ready" to make a deal.
- Russia and Ukraine announced the exchange of 200 prisoners of war from each side, described as the first step of a larger operation agreed in recent Geneva talks.
- A planned tripartite meeting expected this week was suspended indefinitely because of the war in the Middle East.
- Since 2025, direct Kyiv–Moscow talks pushed by Washington have produced prisoner and body exchanges but no cease-fire or political settlement.