“Putin will not negotiate as a loser,” one of his longtime associates tells TIME by phone from Moscow. “He knows that winners don’t get punished, and if he wins, all of this” — the sanctions, the tariffs — “will go away.”

Donald Trump said Ukraine should not target Moscow, following reports that he had encouraged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to consider striking the Russian capital if provided with long-range weapons.

Slovakia has blocked the European Union’s proposed 18th package of sanctions on Russia, dealing a setback to efforts aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow over its war in Ukraine

At the peace talks in Istanbul last month, Russia handed Ukraine a memorandum proposing "a mutual amnesty of 'political prisoners' and release of detained civilians" as a possible condition for a ceasefire in the three-and-a-half-year conflict.

“A turning point regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine is coming,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who is behind a proposal to impose “bone-crushing” tariffs on Russian exports. “For months, President Trump tried to entice Putin to the peace table. He has left the door open regarding Russia. That door is about to close,” he added.

Pope Leo XIV met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy today and reaffirmed the Vatican's willingness to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

There are no difficulties in process, as 'we just need to complete all procedures for coordination,' spokesman Peskov says - Anadolu Ajansı