US denies imposing agreement on Ukraine

Rubio rejected the idea of ​​outside pressure on Kiev or Moscow. According to him, the United States acts as a facilitator of dialogue, not as an arbitrator. “We cannot force Ukraine to accept an agreement. We also cannot force Russia. An agreement only exists if both parties want it,” he declared. The secretary indicated that he may participate in the conversations in person this Saturday.

The negotiations are being conducted by close allies of President Donald Trump, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The proposal under discussion provides security guarantees for Ukraine, but involves territorial concessions, a point that faces strong internal resistance in Kiev.

Ukraine articulates security guarantees as Putin reinforces offensive

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov leads the country’s delegation. He has already met with representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany to align the priorities defined by President Volodimir Zelensky, centered on lasting security guarantees. After the meetings, Umerov reported that he spoke with Zelensky and that joint work will continue “in clear line” with the objectives of the Ukrainian government.

While diplomacy advances, conflict remains active. Russia has not yet formally responded to changes made by Ukraine and European countries to the 28-point plan previously presented by Washington, criticized for favoring Moscow.

A few hours earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin toughened his speech and stated that the outcome of the war depends on Kiev and its Western allies. He said Russian forces were advancing along the front line and projected further military gains by the end of the year. Today, Russia controls around 19% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, annexed in 2014.

On the battlefield, violence did not subside. A ballistic missile attack hit the Odessa region on the Black Sea, killing seven people and leaving at least 15 injured, according to local authorities. The target was the port infrastructure.

Putin also commented on recent decisions by the European Union, which chose not to use frozen Russian assets to finance a loan to Ukraine. More than 200 billion euros from the Russian Central Bank remain held at Euroclear in Brussels. The Russian president classified any use of these resources as “an assault”.