Overnight Russian outlets amplified Axios claims Trump was βreally madβ at Zelensky over refinery strikes, threatening to cut arms and intelligence, with the Kremlin framing his call for leadership change as a result of Kyivβs unwillingness to stop the war.
By midday focus shifted to Peskovβs response to Trumpβs claimed energy truce and Zelenskyβs proposal for a 60-day pause to hold elections: Moscow said it had no position on the energy halt while dismissing the longer pause, offering only to refrain from strikes on election day itself. Lavrov added Kyiv had not earned respite as both sides reported continued strikes on energy, ports and rail.
Evening coverage turned to the EUβs largest sanctions expansion since 2022 and NATOβs commander outlining retaliatory strikes on St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, alongside fallout from Ukrainian hits on Yandex data centers and Novak confirming diesel talks with the U.S.