Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Ukrainian forces have recaptured territory through a series of offensive operations, stating that Kyiv's battlefield position is the strongest it has been in some time. The announcement came as Nordic leaders met with Ukrainian officials.
Russia announced that European countries will not be included in the next round of trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States planned for Abu Dhabi, despite calls from Germany and other European nations to be part of any negotiations. The exclusion comes as Ukraine, Russia, and the US prepare to resume peace talks after an eight-month pause.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a 'frank and substantive' phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine, breaking with longstanding Western European practice of shunning direct contact with Putin.
A localized ceasefire appeared to be holding around the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky on Tuesday, aimed at allowing humanitarian aid to reach residents who have faced acute shortages of food, water and medicine after more than four years of occupation. The truce, which both sides reported no violations of, was brokered with US involvement, though competing claims emerged over whether First Lady Melania Trump or Pope Leo played the key diplomatic role.
