I think there was quite a bit of movement behind the scenes over the weekend, including a conversation between Secretary of State Rubio and Foreign Minister Lavrov. This set the stage for a telephone conversation tomorrow between Trump and Putin, which could be very significant and possibly lead to some sort of temporary ceasefire.
On the ground in Kursk, the Ukies have been driven back to two pockets of land on the Russian side of the border, representing something on the order of 5% of the territory they took at the height of their surprise offensive 7 months ago. Fighting continues in those areas and Russian forces have made efforts to cross into Ukrainian territory in the Sumy region.
Russia warned that an apparent UK-France agreement to send peacekeepers to monitor and enforce a ceasefire in Ukraine was not acceptable to Moscow and would put the Western troops in harm's way. A Russian official also reiterated Moscow's ironclad demand that any final peace deal must include a legally binding pledge of Ukraine's non-membership in NATO.
On the ground in Kursk, the Ukies have been driven back to two pockets of land on the Russian side of the border, representing something on the order of 5% of the territory they took at the height of their surprise offensive 7 months ago. Fighting continues in those areas and Russian forces have made efforts to cross into Ukrainian territory in the Sumy region.
Russia warned that an apparent UK-France agreement to send peacekeepers to monitor and enforce a ceasefire in Ukraine was not acceptable to Moscow and would put the Western troops in harm's way. A Russian official also reiterated Moscow's ironclad demand that any final peace deal must include a legally binding pledge of Ukraine's non-membership in NATO.
