With its focus on war with its neighbor, Russia has taken its eyes off the ball elsewhere. As a result, its position is much weaker – but Putin remains dangerous.

Donald Trump has spoken of doing a deal with Ukraine to obtain rare earth minerals in exchange for U.S. aid ahead of JD Vance's meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky.

The US is reportedly taking steps to create plans aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, announced at a recent meeting with allies that they are working on possible options to end the conflict.

Putin has expressed willingness to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, but Bloomberg suggests he won't pursue meaningful peace talks while believing his forces hold an advantage. The editorial notes that Putin initially aimed to seize all of Ukraine and may not consider the occupation of four war-torn regions a victory,

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Tuesday that authorities in Russia have engaged in "a coordinated effort to suppress dissent" over the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the Strasbourg-based court,

Russian forces targeted Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure in a “massive” night time missile attack and Ukrainian drones struck an important oil refinery inside Russia, officials said, as the almost three-year war rumbled on against a backdrop of renewed diplomatic efforts to end it.