During a visit to Berlin by Ukrainian President Zelensky, Germany pledged support in missile construction.

In the struggle to end the war in Ukraine, Russia is proposing another round of direct ceasefire talks to the government in Kyiv this Monday. The negotiations should again take place in Istanbul, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to the state news agency Tass. The Russian delegation is ready to present a memorandum to the Ukrainian team there. The document sets out the Russian position on "all aspects of a reliable resolution of the root causes of the crisis."

However, Ukraine immediately insisted on receiving the memorandum immediately. Andriy Sybiha, Foreign Minister of the country attacked by Russia more than three years ago, wrote to X that they expected the Russian side to not let the next meeting fail and to present its proposals "immediately," as previously agreed.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov announced that he had already handed over a document containing Ukraine's position to the Russian chief negotiator. "We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are waiting for their memorandum so that the meeting does not become meaningless and truly brings us closer to ending the war," he wrote to X. Umyerov accused Moscow of further delays and reiterated Ukraine's readiness for a complete and unconditional ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for more international pressure on Russia to end its war of aggression. He said on RTL Direkt that he doesn't yet see Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin willing to do so. "We don't have enough pressure." Leading powers aren't doing enough, he said. "The US is on board, but not 100 percent. Other states like China or other countries in the Global South are holding back."

Putin is clinging to his chair, the president said. "We will have a just peace, but probably only after Putin." An interim solution, however, is possible immediately: "But peace that begins first with a ceasefire and then with further steps toward lasting peace can begin tomorrow."

US President Donald Trump expressed hesitancy regarding new sanctions against Russia, but at the same time issued Putin an ultimatum. "We're going to find out whether he's pulling our leg or not—and if he is, we're going to respond a little differently," Trump said during a press appearance at the White House when asked about the issue.

When asked what was stopping him from imposing new sanctions on Russia, the Republican said: "Just the fact that when I think I'm close to a deal, I don't want to screw it up." Trump went on to say he was "very disappointed in what happened the last few nights." People were killed while negotiations were taking place. "I'm very disappointed in this. Very, very disappointed," Trump said.

Germany pledged support to Ukraine in the production of long-range missiles. After a meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky in Berlin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: "We want to enable long-range weapons. We also want to enable joint production." A concrete agreement on arms cooperation was reached by the defense ministers of both countries, Boris Pistorius and Rustem Umyerov, during the visit.

Ukraine needs the long-range weapons to attack Russian airfields or supply lines far behind the front lines – even on Russian territory. The delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine becomes less likely with German production assistance for Ukrainian weapons – but it is not off the table. In the ZDF program "heute journal," Merz did not rule out the delivery. "Of course it's within the realm of possibility," he replied to a question on this topic.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Germany was allowing itself to be drawn directly into this war by financing the production of Ukrainian missiles. The Kremlin accused the Chancellor of warmongering. Merz's statements were provoking a continuation of the war, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul sharply rejected the accusation. "If there's anyone who isn't allowed to talk about warmongering, it's (Kremlin spokesman Dmitri) Peskov, because he and his regime aren't just doing it verbally, they're actually waging an illegal war that violates international law," the CDU politician said after a meeting with his US counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington.

He also accused Putin of not being ready to end the war of aggression. "Everyone is in favor of negotiations. Everyone is in favor of the two parties finding a mutually acceptable solution. But at the moment, Russia is not ready for that (...)," the CDU politician said in an English-language interview with the US broadcaster Fox News.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion with Western assistance for more than three years. The first Russian-Ukrainian negotiations since 2022, held in Istanbul in mid-May, resulted in a major prisoner exchange.

Kyiv had agreed to a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Moscow has so far been unwilling to do so and last weekend also launched what are arguably the most powerful drone strikes since the war began. There are no signs of Russia backing down from its maximum demands. According to Ukrainian President Zelensky, Russia is amassing approximately 50,000 troops for a possible advance into the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones caused unrest in Moscow overnight. Flight operations at Vnukovo Airport were temporarily suspended during the approach of the unmanned aerial vehicles, Tass reported. Debris from a downed drone landed in the city, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.