Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, told reporters after a phone call with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this morning that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could soon be “frozen” (11:16).
His comments come as US president Donald Trump’s deadline for Russia to move on ending its invasion of Ukraine ends today, with a flurry of calls between global leaders as they consult on the next steps (9:56).
Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke with Belarusian autocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenko, China’s Xi Jinping, and India’s Narendra Modi, debriefing them on his talks with the US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow.
Meanwhile, the US was reportedly looking into the logistics of organising a Trump-Putin summit next week, sounding the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, out about hosting the talks in Rome (15:26), and looking into alternative locations, including Hungary and the United Arab Emirates (13:47).
In other news,
The German government said it would not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip to Israel, until further notice (12:34).
The Israeli government’s latest plans for Gaza were also pointedly criticised by a number of other European governments, including Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK (12:39).
The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that “the Israeli government’s decision to further extend its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered.”
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today. Have a great weekend!
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
The Kremlin’s readout of the Modi-Putin call also said the pair discussed US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow, as well as trade, economic and investment cooperation.
