The morning began with reports of Ukrainian drones attacking Moscow, with four intercepted and debris damaging buildings. This attack followed Putin's conditional acceptance of a ceasefire proposal the previous day.
By midday, multiple sources revealed Trump had directly contacted Putin, asking him to spare Ukrainian troops encircled in Kursk region, calling potential casualties "a terrible massacre." Initially reported as a phone call, the White House later clarified the communication occurred through Trump's envoy Witkoff.
Putin responded to Trump's humanitarian request by demanding Kyiv order its Kursk forces to surrender, guaranteeing their lives if they laid down arms. This exchange underscored the developing diplomatic channel between Putin and Trump, with the Kremlin confirming Putin had sent "additional signals" to Trump through Witkoff.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Rutte confirmed Ukraine's NATO membership is no longer under consideration, potentially addressing one of Putin's ceasefire conditions.