Morning coverage focused on US-Iran nuclear talks "going well" per Trump, while Peskov framed Witkoff's recent visit as a step toward a Putin-Trump summit, building on Kellogg's Ukraine division proposal from previous days. By mid-morning, Russian media reported extensively on a missile strike on Sumy that killed 34 civilians, with Ukrainian sources claiming it targeted a city center while Russian outlets suggested military personnel were gathered there.
Diplomatic momentum continued with news of scheduled Russia-Ukraine talks on Black Sea shipping in Ankara - the first direct negotiations in three years. Russian military claimed to have shot down a Ukrainian F-16 jet for the first time and advanced on multiple fronts including Konstantinovka direction. Throughout the day, reports highlighted Ukrainian drone attacks on Belgorod and Bryansk regions, with one truck driver killed.