President Trump is urging Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate a deal with Russia to end the war. However, recent developments, including a dispute over Starlink satellite internet service and the destruction of a prominent evangelical church, have complicated the diplomatic push.
What happened
Russian air strikes recently killed three people and wounded two others in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. Additionally, a Russian strike destroyed a prominent evangelical church, with before-and-after photos showing the damage. Since Russia's full-scale invasion, over 600 Christian churches, monasteries, mosques, and synagogues in Ukraine have reportedly been destroyed.
President Trump has again urged President Zelenskyy to make a deal with Russia, citing the financial burden of the war on the United States and Europe. However, relations between the two leaders have soured, with Trump suggesting that someone else should lead Ukraine. Meanwhile, a recent slowdown in Starlink service in Ukraine, reportedly ordered by Elon Musk, has given Russian forces an advantage in their attacks.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has met with U.S. officials in Norway, where he announced that intelligence sharing and early-warning support have resumed. Ukraine is also seeking restored military support and the lifting of Starlink restrictions. A new peace proposal has been presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, with the White House hoping to encourage Putin to compromise by easing sanctions on Russian diesel sales.
