Overview
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Washington proposed holding the next trilateral round in Miami next week and is targeting a June timeline, though a U.S. NATO envoy later said no formal deadline has been set.
- A 314-prisoner exchange agreed in Abu Dhabi was highlighted by U.S. officials as evidence of limited progress while broader negotiations stalled.
- Core disputes persist over Russian demands for control of remaining Donbas territory and Ukraine’s insistence on regaining the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
- Sergey Lavrov rejected U.S. optimism, accused Washington of backtracking on alleged 2025 Anchorage understandings and maintaining tough energy sanctions, and said economic ties show no “bright future.”
- Estonia’s foreign intelligence chief assessed that Moscow is using talks to buy time and believes it can outmaneuver the United States, reinforcing doubts about Russia’s willingness to compromise.