🇺🇸/🇺🇦 US President Donald Trump on the Ukraine War: “This is Biden’s war, not my war. And we're working very hard to get us out of it. I stopped five wars in the last five months, actually. And I'd like this to be the sixth, frankly. And that doesn't even include Iran.”

🤝 — 🇺🇸/🇷🇺 US Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, met today with Russian President Vladimer Putin in the Kremlin, and held talks with him, two days before the expiry of a deadline set by President Donald Trump for #Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions.

It was not clear what Russia might offer to Witkoff in order to stave off Trump's threat, but Bloomberg reported that the Kremlin might propose a moratorium on air strikes by Russia and #Ukraine – an idea that was mentioned last week by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with Putin.

🇺🇸/🇺🇦 The US State Department has approved a $104 million foreign military sale contract to support #Ukraine’s M777 howitzers, covering equipment, repairs, sustainment, technical assistance, training, and related logistics.

Additionally, a separate $99.5 million contract for transportation, consolidation, and logistical services will have a contractor chosen from approved US suppliers.

🇺🇸/🇷🇺/🇺🇦 The meeting between US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian officials regarding a peace deal in #Ukraine has concluded, lasting about three hours.

The American delegation is currently leaving Kremlin, accompanied by Russian Police.

According to Kremlin aide, Ushakov, the talks were useful and constructive, and both sides have sent some “signals” to each other.

🇷🇺/🇺🇦 Overnight, roughly two dozens of Russian “Geran-2” UAVs struck the Orlivka Gas Compression and Pumping station on the Trans-Balkan route in Odessa, near the border with Romania, which is part of an LNG imports scheme from the US and Azerbaijan.

🇺🇸/🇷🇺 A US Air Force (USAF) WC-135R “Constant Phoenix” nuclear sniffing aircraft with the call sign COBRA29 and designed to detect radioactive clouds in real time, took off from Royal Air Force (RAF) Mildenhall, a major UK airbase east of England, before traveling north along the coast west of Norway, where it circled around the Barents Sea for 14 hours, north of Murmansk and west of the Russian Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, home to several naval and strategic air bases, including those serving Russia's Northern Fleet, as Moscow may soon carry out tests of its 9M730 “Burevestnik” nuclear-powered cruise missile at a launch site on Novaya Zemlya.

🇱🇧 Hezbollah released a statement regarding yesterday’s meeting by the Lebanese government that was held to disarm all non-governmental groups, including Hezbollah itself, saying that they will act as if the disarmament decision doesn’t exist.

Following Hezbollah’s statement, Youssef Raggi, #Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, said on X that the “[disarmament] decision is final and irrevocable.”

🇺🇸/🇷🇺 US President Donald Trump plans to meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, according to the New York Times.

Trump then plans to meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The plans were disclosed in a call with European leaders on Wednesday.

Trump also told Chancellor of Germany, Merz, that the talks today between Witkoff and Putin were productive more than expected.

❗️— 🇱🇧/🇮🇱 The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is carrying out intense airstrikes at what it seems to be Hezbollah weapons/missiles depots in southern Lebanon.

At least two people were reported to have been killed as a result of the strikes.

🇺🇦/🇷🇺 While its not clear at all, new satellite imagery shows the impacts of the SBU’s Alpha Special Operations Center (CSO “A”) drone strikes on the Russian “Saky” military airbase in Crimea, which resulted in the destruction of a Su-30SM fighter jet.

🇺🇸/🇷🇺 One White House official told the CNN that while Trump said he intended to meet with Putin as early as next week, it would likely be difficult to execute a meeting on that timeline given the negotiating that would have to be done, as well as the logistical hurdles.

🇺🇸/🇷🇺 US Secretary of State Macro Rubio on a potential meeting next week between President Donald Trump and Russian President Putin regarding a peace deal in Ukraine:

“I don't know if it will be next week or not. It remains to be seen.You know, I think it will depend a lot on how much progress we can make. Again, this is important in the sense that we think what happened was good, because we have a sense now of what conditions the Russians would require in order to end the war.”

🇱🇧/🇮🇷 Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi rejects and condemns statements earlier by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in which he said that Iran supports Hezbollah's decision to resist disarmament, and that the group has “rebuilt itself” following the war last year.

🇺🇦/🇷🇺 Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) launched at least nine British-made Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) along with drones at Russian positions in the port city of Sevastopol, Crimea, with at least one impact reported as seen in the footage.

Russian Ministry of Defense claims that they intercepted eight of them. It was also reported that R-360 “Neptune” subsonic cruise missiles were used in the attack.

🇷🇺/🇺🇸/🇦🇪 The Russian Kremlin confirmed that direct peace talks between President Vladimir Putin and US President Trump will take place in the coming days.

Although the time and location have not been specified, Putin stated during a press conference at the Kremlin today, alongside UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, that the meeting may take place in the United Arab Emirates.

🇺🇦/🇷🇺 The Elite “Prymary” Unit of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) carried out a successful attack against the Russian 3rd Radio-Technical Regiment (military unit 85683-A) in Mount Ai-Petri, southern Crimea.

The unit used maritime drone carriers to deliver explosive-laden UAVs equipped with Starlink terminals and flying at low altitude.

The UAVs struck and destroyed a Russian Project 02510 “BK-16” landing boat, along with three advanced radar systems, including VHF 1L119 “Nebo-SVU”, Podlet/48Ya6 K-1, and 96L6E radars of the S-400 “Triumf” air defense system.

Also, as seen in the footage below, Russians had hidden the radars inside radio-transparent domes.

🇺🇦/🇷🇺 Consequences of the Ukrainian attack on the Primorsko-Alhtarsk airfield, as shown by newly captured satellite imagery.

Three buildings used to store Shahed-type UAVs (1 & 2) were struck or destroyed. In addition, a facility for storing and preparing aerial munitions (3) was critically damaged. (h/t CyberBoroshno)

🇮🇱/🇵🇸 According to Axios, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed today that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will begin an offensive to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, root out Hamas, and release the remaining hostages.

The operation, which is opposed by Israel's top general and several other senior security officials, is expected to take at least several months and involve displacing around 1 million Palestinian civilians. Then following its completion, the envelope will be handed over to Arab forces to govern it.

❗️— 🇱🇧 Lebanese government has agreed to the objectives of the proposed American paper following the end of today’s Cabinet session, which includes the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups in the country by the end of the year.

🇺🇸/🇷🇺 A White House official told the New York Post earlier today that US President Donald Trump will meet with Russian President Putin –regarding a peace deal in Ukraine– only if Putin meets with Ukrainian President Zelensky.

The official also noted that no place has been set for the talks yet.

🇱🇧 BREAKING - Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam officially announced the adoption of the American proposal submitted by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, which outlines a gradual end to the armed presence of all non-governmental entities — including #Hezbollah — across all Lebanese territory.

The plan also includes the deployment of the Lebanese Army in border areas and key internal locations, the withdrawal of Israel from the “five disputed points,” and the resolution of border and detainee issues.