Pope Francis's bilateral pneumonia dominated morning coverage, with reports of stable condition evolving into news of him sitting in an armchair, culminating in Meloni's 20-minute visit reporting him alert and joking. Vatican bulletins indicated slight improvement in inflammatory markers.
The diplomatic sphere witnessed escalating rhetoric between Trump and Zelensky, with Trump labeling the Ukrainian leader "an unelected dictator and mediocre comedian" after Zelensky accused him of living in "Russian disinformation." Putin joined the discourse from Riyadh, dismissing Kiev's concerns as "hysteria" while expressing openness to negotiations. By evening, Musk entered the fray, demanding Ukrainian elections.
The morning's US-Russia dialogue in Riyadh, following yesterday's breakthrough, shifted to public antagonism by nightfall, with Moscow and Washington appearing to coordinate pressure on Kiev.