Russian invasion

Negotiations
White House: Trump and Putin had positive conversation

Donald Trump has once again spoken with Vladimir Putin, according to White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt.

“President Trump has concluded a positive conversation with President Putin about Ukraine,” she writes on X without giving any details.

The two presidents also called before Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy yesterday.

The news of the conversation comes shortly after Russia accused Ukraine of trying to attack Putin’s summer residence, which Zelenskyy denies.

Putin informed Trump of this during the conversation, according to his adviser Yuri Ushakov, according to Reuters. He claims that Trump was “shocked” by the news. The United States has not commented on this claim.

Zelenskyy: Foreign troops necessary

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy wants foreign troops in Ukraine to uphold a peace agreement, he says according to The Guardian.

– I think the presence of international troops is a real security guarantee, a reinforcement of the guarantees that our allies already offer us.

The other week, NATO chief Mark Rutte told the German Bild that several European countries are willing to send soldiers to Ukraine if the Kremlin were to break a ceasefire.

Yesterday, the Kremlin reiterated the message that all foreign troops in Ukraine will be seen as legitimate military targets.  

The fighting
Trump on alleged attack: “Makes me very angry”

Donald Trump has commented on Russia’s claim that Ukraine tried to attack Putin’s summer residence, several media outlets report.

– It’s not good, I don’t like it. It makes me very angry, he says.

Trump says it is “possible” that the claim is false, but adds:

– But President Putin told me this morning that it happened [...] We’ll find out.

The Ukrainian government strongly denies the Kremlin’s claim. They call it an attempt to undermine peace talks and a fabricated pretext for new Russian attacks on Ukrainian government buildings.

Trump also says that he and Putin had a “productive” conversation, but that some “very tough” issues remain.

Kremlin claims attack on Putin’s summer residence – Zelensky denies

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claims that Ukraine tried to attack Vladimir Putin’s summer residence on Lake Valdai in Novgorod with 91 drones, according to state-run Russian media.

This is immediately denied by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who calls it a lie and an attempt to undermine the US talks.

“The Russians do not want an end to the war. By claiming that a certain residence is under attack, they are laying the groundwork for attacks on (Ukrainian) government buildings,” he wrote to reporters.

Russia will retaliate, and the timing and targets have already been determined, according to Lavrov. He added that Russia will also “change its negotiating position,” without going into details.

Lavrov’s claim of 91 drones contradicts the Russian Defense Ministry’s figures, writes Ukraine’s public service broadcaster Suspilne.

According to the ministry, 18 drones were shot down over Novgorod on Monday morning, and 23 more later.

European defense stocks recovered after new row

European defense stocks were pressured on Monday after positive signals from the weekend's peace talks between presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyj. But after the new verbal spat between Moscow and Kyiv, where the Kremlin on Monday claimed that Ukraine had tried to attack Vladimir Putin's summer residence in Novgorod with drones, the stocks recovered.

On the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Rheinmetall was down more than 3 percent at most, but was down 1.1 percent at the close. In Milan, Italy's Leonardo fell 2 percent after being down 4.7 percent and in Stockholm, Saab was traded down 1 percent after being down 3 percent at most. On the Oslo Stock Exchange, defense group Kongsberg fell 0.7 percent after being down more than 3 percent at most.

Ukraine denies the Russian data.

The world's response
Latvia has built a fence along the entire Russian border

Latvia has completed the construction of a fence along the entire 280-kilometer border with Russia. The state-owned company VNI, which is responsible for the project, announced this in a press release on Monday.

- Work is underway to install high-tech surveillance equipment. The goal is the most modern border control in the Eastern EU, says Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis.

In addition to the fence, the country is building other border infrastructure such as patrol roads and bridges in wetland areas.