
Zelenskiy urges Donald Trump to authorize a larger weapons transfer to hasten Russia’s exit
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China deepens backing for Russia’s Ukraine campaign, Western agencies warn
Western intelligence judges Beijing increased material and diplomatic support for Moscow across 2025 and that coordination is likely to broaden in 2026, but Beijing’s approach remains pragmatic and calibrated. The shift — centred on approvals, third‑party routing and financial layering — constrains European leverage, complicates sanctions enforcement and heightens the need for allied chokepoint controls and intelligence sharing.

Estonian intelligence warns Russia is using peace talks to advance war aims
Estonian foreign intelligence concludes Moscow’s recent conciliatory language toward negotiations is tactical and aimed at consolidating battlefield and political gains rather than signaling a genuine halt to operations. The assessment comes as a public split among senior Estonian officials over engagement strategy risks sending mixed signals to NATO partners and Moscow, complicating allied policy responses.

US aims for a June resolution as strikes cripple Ukraine’s power network
U.S. envoys have invited Kyiv and Moscow to talks on U.S. soil with a compressed timetable that aims to reach a settlement by June, Kyiv says. The diplomatic window opens as intensified Russian strikes — including a large combined drone-and-missile assault hitting Kyiv, Dnipro and Odesa — further damaged substations and thermal plants, forcing rolling outages, emergency requests for power from Poland and urgent international offers of materiel support.

Zelenskyy says Russia is stalling as Geneva talks produce little concrete progress
Two days of U.S.-facilitated Geneva talks were short and largely procedural, producing a reciprocal prisoner swap but no framework on territory or multinational security guarantees; Moscow signalled continued insistence on territorial outcomes while Kyiv demanded enforceable security measures first. The conference was overshadowed by a major aerial campaign that struck energy infrastructure, underlining the fragility of short-term operational pauses and the limits of current leverage on Moscow.

Poland Argues European Funders Deserve Formal Role in US‑Led Ukraine Talks
Poland’s foreign minister urged that European states contributing substantial military and financial support to Ukraine should be included more directly in peace negotiations brokered by the United States. He framed the demand around accountability and access to information for those underwriting the defense effort, warning of growing frustration among European capitals.

Witkoff and Kushner Drive Trump’s Private Peace Initiative
A Trump-backed delegation led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held concentrated talks in Geneva that produced a 20-point framework, donor pledges including $5 billion and vague promises of stabilization troops, and a negotiated pause that enabled aid and a prisoner exchange. The effort returned negotiations to Europe after Abu Dhabi, delivered limited tactical wins (including a 314-person prisoner swap), but was undercut by a large subsequent strike on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and deep skepticism about compressed timelines for a broader settlement.

Russian Strikes Expand to Odesa, Deepening Assault on Ukraine’s Power Grid
A fresh wave of Russian attacks struck Odesa, cutting into Ukraine’s energy network and signaling a broader campaign to degrade civilian infrastructure. The strikes complicate recovery efforts, raise humanitarian risks, and increase pressure on Ukraine’s defense and international partners to respond with additional air defenses and grid resilience support.

Zelensky cites 55,000 military deaths as Abu Dhabi talks yield limited progress
President Volodymyr Zelensky told French television that Ukraine has lost 55,000 service members and authorities continue to register tens of thousands as missing; Abu Dhabi mediation produced a 314-person prisoner swap but left the core territorial dispute unresolved. A new assessment from the Center for Strategic and International Studies offers substantially different casualty totals and warns the conflict is imposing large human and economic costs while yielding limited Russian territorial gains, highlighting major uncertainties in wartime accounting and long-term strategy.