Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
US envoy Steve Witkoff visits Russia today, where his is expected to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin (14:27). The meeting comes amid growing impatience over Russia’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire and peace talks over Ukraine, with US president Donald Trump saying “Russia has to get moving” (16:10).
Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov warned Russia was ramping up its military production and has shown no will for peace (12:55).
His comments came on the day as western allies mobilised over €21bn in new military aid to Ukraine, including from the UK and Germany.
But German defence minister Boris Pistorius stressed that “given Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, we must concede peace in Ukraine appears to be out of reach in the immediate future.”
British defence secretary John Healey strongly pushed back on EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’s apparent criticism that there was a lack of clarity on the Coalition of the Willing’s plans for the reassurance force in Ukraine (9:39), saying the planning was “real, substantial, well advanced,” and the EU was not a part of it (12:59).
On economy front, the EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič will go to Washington on Sunday for further talks with US counterparts on tariffs, a commission spokesperson confirmed (11:52).
And finally, in Greenland, the head of the US military base that was visited by vice-president JD Vance has been fired for criticising Washington’s agenda for the Arctic island (10:35).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
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.
'Russia has to get moving,' Trump says
We also got an update from Trump on what he thinks about Russia as his envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow for talks with president Vladimir Putin.
Here’s his post on Truth Social:
Russia has to get moving. Too many people ere [sic] DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war - A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!
