More sanctions against Russia, continued support for Ukraine ... The two agreed a 30-day ceasefire was the correct first step towards ending the war.

It was a proposal that the Kremlin could neither outright reject nor accept, intended to force it into an awkward choice, revealing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s true appetite for his brutal war of choice.

President Donald Trump offered another glimpse of an emerging, sometimes contradictory foreign policy doctrine: trying to end various conflicts around the globe while vowing not to withdraw from the world entirely.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine both reported attacks on their forces Thursday on the first day of a 72-hour ceasefire called by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian lawmakers unanimously approved a landmark minerals deal with the U.S.

Kyiv accused Moscow of breaching its own ceasefire on Thursday, saying Russian forces struck hundreds of times along the front lines and launched guided bombs that killed and wounded civilians in several Ukrainian cities.

President Donald Trump should call for an unconditional ceasefire as the basis for negotiating a broader peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

Uncertainty surrounds the Istanbul peace talks as Putin withdraws and Trump remains undecided, while Zelenskyy maintains he will attend only if he can meet directly with Putin, not lower-level officials.

Ukraine and Russia may hold talks in Turkey today but there is confusion over who, if anyone, will attend. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin won’t be taking part, despite calling the talks himself. • Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says he’ll decide on the talks after a meeting with Turkey’s President Erdogan.