As Ukraine and Russia prepare for peace talks scheduled for June 2 in Istanbul, few observers expect a breakthrough. While the U.S. and Ukraine have pushed for an unconditional ceasefire, the Kremlin has rejected it.

But two things could leave the alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, presiding over a more difficult event: President Trump, who is expected to attend, is at odds with allies over Ukraine’s future. And Ukraine itself wants to join NATO, an outcome Mr. Trump opposes.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday. This will be the first meeting since Merz took office as chancellor on May 6, as announced by German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday that the threat from China was real and potentially imminent as he pushed allies in the Indo-Pacific to spend more on their own defence needs.

Leonov noted that Washington initially agreed to Ukraine forgoing NATO membership early in talks, which Russia now views as a given concession, prompting further demands. However, U.S. President Donald Trump could only delay Ukraine’s NATO bid during his term,

US President Donald Trump has pushed for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for the last few week. While the two countries have exchanged some POWs in the last few days, there has been not much movement on stopping the war.

Britain and France are preparing a new format to support Ukraine. Amid concerns that Donald Trump might withdraw from the negotiation process, European allies are focusing on Kyiv's long-term defense without US involvement,

Trump previously said his personal relationship with Putin would usher in peace for Ukraine. Now, he says Putin's gone "absolutely CRAZY!"

Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal issued the horrifying warning after visiting war-ravaged neighborhoods of Ukraine.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský commented on the statement made by Keith Kellogg, the special representative of US President Donald Trump, regarding the US being ready to promise Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine will not join NATO.