Overview
- Steve Witkoff, who met Vladimir Putin earlier this month, will meet Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Berlin this weekend, a senior White House official confirmed.
- Zelensky says the U.S. plan envisions Ukrainian forces withdrawing from the remaining part of Donetsk they control to form a demilitarized or free economic zone.
- According to Zelensky, the reported tradeoff includes Russian withdrawals from parts of Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk while remaining in areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
- Kyiv has submitted a revised proposal after talks in Geneva and Florida, linking any territorial compromise to robust U.S.–EU security guarantees and a domestic vote by election or referendum.
- The White House says President Trump is extremely frustrated and wants swift action, as EU capitals move to immobilize Russian assets and an AFP source says EU membership for Ukraine in 2027 is being discussed as part of the plan.