Putin signals openness to resuming talks with Ukraine; Zelensky announces US approval for Patriot missile production

Why it matters

Putin's remarks indicate Russia may be willing to re-enter negotiations to end the war, a potential shift from the stalled diplomatic track. US approval for Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles marks a deepening of defense cooperation, though Zelenskyy said production would take a year to a year and a half. Zelenskyy's request that Trump pressure Xi Jinping to engage Moscow signals that Ukraine is seeking broader international leverage to end the conflict.

What happened

Russian President Vladimir Putin said all proposals regarding resuming negotiations with Ukraine to end the war remain on the table. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said US President Donald Trump and Putin had discussed by phone an American proposal to organize a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, to be held at the technical level soon, and emphasized that ensuring security in the Black Sea requires a comprehensive solution. Putin's remarks came shortly after Russian parliamentary elections.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he had received American approval to manufacture Patriot missiles, saying Trump decided to allow Kyiv to produce them after long hesitation. He noted that starting production could take a year or a year and a half. Ukraine has been seeking PAC-3 interceptor missiles for its Patriot systems, which are described as the only ones capable of intercepting ballistic projectiles. Zelenskyy also said he asked Trump to pressure Chinese President Xi Jinping to use Beijing's influence on Moscow in diplomatic efforts to push Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine, though he had not yet received a response from the White House about Trump's talks with Xi.

Both sides reported strikes on each other's territory. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces targeted two Russian oil refineries overnight, located in Perm and Novoshakhtinsk, with Ukraine's General Staff reporting fires at a Lukoil PJSK facility in the Perm region and at a smaller oil processing station in Novoshakhtinsk. In Zaporizhzhia, paramedics evacuated 7 patients from a city hospital following a Russian raid that damaged the building and caused a fire, resulting in two injuries. One person was killed in the Odesa region by a strike on a postal facility, according to Ukrainian authorities. Russia's Ministry of Defense said its forces had targeted Ukrainian defense industry facilities, supply and provisioning centers, and ships used by the Ukrainian armed forces with drones overnight, hitting a drone assembly and storage site in the Kyiv region, supply centers in the Odesa region, and port infrastructure in Reni on the Danube River.

How international sources describe it

The single Qatari Arabic-language media article centers the story on Putin's framing of the conflict, foregrounding his statements about being open to negotiations while also documenting Ukrainian retaliatory strikes and Zelenskyy's diplomatic requests to Trump regarding Patriot production and pressure on China.

Where reporting differs

Russian and Ukrainian accounts differ on the targeting and effects of overnight strikes: Zelenskyy reported Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries in Perm and Novoshakhtinsk causing fires, while Russia's Ministry of Defense reported Russian strikes on Ukrainian defense industry, supply centers, and cargo ships in the Odesa and Kyiv regions. Separately, Putin claimed Ukraine targeted the Russian capital and attacked polling centers, while the underlying record describes Russian strikes on Ukrainian polling-station areas only indirectly via Ukrainian counter-strikes on Russian targets, presenting the framing of who initiated provocative attacks during the election period from the Russian side only.

Background

Ukraine has been seeking PAC-3 interceptor missiles for its Patriot systems, which are described as the only ones capable of intercepting ballistic projectiles. Putin's remarks came shortly after Russian parliamentary elections. Russia has intensified its aerial strikes using ballistic missiles and drones across Ukraine in recent months, damaging businesses, logistics networks, and ports.