Ukraine would like U.S. President Donald Trump to be present at a potential meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrinform reported on May 23, citing Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

This week's prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine was the largest since the war’s onset. But skepticism of a lasting truce, and President Trump’s peace-making, remains. Bridget Brink resigned as ambassador to Ukraine in April,

Vladimir Putin has decided to continue the offensive in 2025 and seize more Ukrainian territory. However, these plans are unlikely to be realistic, according to the RBC-Ukraine article. According to RBC-Ukraine,

The US and European leaders are placing their hopes in the Vatican to engage Russia and Ukraine in peace talks, after President Donald Trump said Pope Leo XIV had expressed interest in the idea. The Kremlin isn’t so keen.

The official assessment suggests Vladimir Putin is enlarging his nuclear arsenal not just to improve his position ion the battlefield, but also in response to global concerns about the possibility of WW3.

Marco Rubio refused to call Vladimir Putin a "war criminal," despite grilling former secretary of state Rex Tillerson over the same issue in 2017. At a House Committee on foreign affairs session on Wednesday, the current secretary of state dodged questions on Putin, though admitted there had been "war crimes" in the war.

Russia confirmed it still seeks to annex four regions of Ukraine, plus Crimea, and force Ukraine to be a buffer state.