- Russian president Vladimir Putin held over three hours of talks in Moscow with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss diplomatic solutions to the Ukraine war and potential mutually beneficial economic projects between Russia and the United States.
- Following their discussions in Russia, which a Kremlin aide described as “highly useful”, the US envoys are travelling to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, amidst a temporary agreement where both sides have agreed to pause strikes on each other's capital cities during the visit.
- Nato's US ambassador Matthew Whitaker condemned an attempted Russian-linked drone attack at Leipzig airport in Germany as part of Moscow's hybrid warfare, prompting Germany to announce the closure of two Russian state facilities in response.
- Ukrainian drone strikes targeted several Russian regions overnight, hitting an oil refinery in Ryazan, as Kyiv actively lobbies European governments to utilise €210bn in frozen Russian central-bank assets to help close a projected €27bn defence funding shortfall.
- Disruptions to Black Sea export logistics caused global food prices to rise to their highest level since November 2022, while a temporary local ceasefire has been established around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to facilitate urgent repairs to its main external power line.
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