Russian invasion

Negotiations
Russia: Waiting for a reaction from the US

The Kremlin announced on Friday that it is still waiting for a reaction from the US after the meeting in Moscow on Tuesday between Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Reuters reports.

The exact content of the talks has not been made public.

US President Donald Trump described the meeting as “pretty good”, but stressed that it is still unclear what happens next because “it takes two to tango”.

At the same time, the Kremlin states that neither a phone call between Trump and Putin nor a new meeting with Witkoff is planned in the near future.

Sources: The idea of ​​territorial concessions is spreading in Europe

The idea of ​​Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia is starting to spread in Europe, according to sources from El País. The opinion has not yet been aired publicly, but in European diplomatic circles it is seen by many as an undesirable but necessary option.

The sources state that this was the dominant view at a meeting in Brussels between representatives of France, Germany, Finland, Italy and the UK and the Ukrainian chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov. The Ukrainian, however, is said to have pointed out that such concessions are contrary to their constitution.

At the same time, the sources state that Poland and the Baltic countries are clearly opposed to giving Vladimir Putin what he wants, as they fear that a Russian “victory” could pave the way for future attacks against themselves.

The World's Response
The US is said to want to stop the EU from taking Russian assets

The US has tried to stop the EU’s plan to use frozen Russian state assets as collateral for a loan to Ukraine, reports Bloomberg. According to European diplomatic sources, US representatives have urged several EU countries to oppose the proposal.

The US believes that the assets should be used to secure a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, not to, in the US view, prolong the war.

The European Commission has proposed that the frozen funds should form the basis for a loan of around 90 billion euros to cover Ukraine's needs for the next two years. Belgium, where most of the assets are located, opposes the plan out of concern about future Russian claims for damages.

Karlsbro: The EU should not be a safe for dictatorships

It is an "extremely bad business model" to lend financial institutions to warlords. This is what MEP Karin Karlsbro (L) told TV4 Nyheterna regarding Belgium's opposition to letting frozen Russian assets go to Ukraine.

The liberal is leading the negotiations in the EU Parliament and she believes that Europe must not be a "safe" for dictatorships.

- It is a lesson that all European countries have learned right now.

Large parts of the money are held by the Brussels-based institution Euroclear, and Belgium fears that the country alone is responsible if Russia demands them back.

Sweden-US relations
Jonson met Hegseth: "Must increase pressure on Russia"

During the night Swedish time, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) and his American counterpart Pete Hegseth met in the Pentagon, reports Ekot.

Hegseth praised, among other things, the rapid integration Sweden has made into NATO and the war in Ukraine was also on the agenda, where Jonson is currently not optimistic about the conditions for peace.

- The pressure on Russia must increase, says the minister, adding that this can be done, among other things, through expanded American sanctions against the Russian energy sector.