
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that discussions between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine have yielded some progress on defining future security structures for Ukraine and Europe following the end of hostilities. Speaking ahead of his travel to Paris for meetings with G7 foreign ministers, Rubio noted that security guarantees have been a recurring topic throughout diplomatic negotiations. The upcoming talks, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, will be mediated by US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with France also expected to send representatives.
President Trump indicated in a television interview that he expects the conflict to conclude in the near term, suggesting that any settlement could result in Ukraine’s borders being redrawn. When asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin might be misleading him about peace prospects, Trump expressed confidence that negotiations were proceeding in good faith.
On the ground, military operations continued with reports of new attacks. A Russian drone strike targeted emergency personnel responding to a previous incident in southern Ukraine, damaging rescue equipment though causing no reported injuries. Russia stated that its forces had struck three cargo vessels carrying military supplies bound for Ukrainian ports and two electrical substations that allegedly serve Ukraine’s defense industry.
Elsewhere, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant experienced a temporary loss of external electrical supply, marking the 27th such incident since the full-scale conflict began in 2022. Power was restored after the facility briefly operated on backup generators to maintain reactor cooling. Additionally, Moldova inaugurated a new power transmission line connecting to Romania and the broader European energy grid, ending its dependence on Russian natural gas supplies.
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