As their yacht bobbed on the Mediterranean, the microchip executive snapped a picture of his Russian partner asleep on the deck. He only knew the Russian by his first name, Maxim. But he knew Maxim was using a shadowy network to get the chips for the Russian defense industry.

A day after Trump hinted the US could boost Ukraine's offensive capabilities against Russia, Putin makes an unannounced trip to Sarov, the center of Russian nuclear weapons research. Not exactly subtle.

Join millions who have switched to Grok.

Lavrov is getting wheeled out on a daily basis to say nyet to Trump's push for a meeting at this point. It's as if Russia doesn't feel like Putin's message fully got through

An excellent @bbcrussian profile of Pavel Zarubin, Putin's pocket TV reporter. It's got "curious groundhogs" admiring his plane and a giant brush cleaning his limo, as well as deep insight into how the Kremlin uses TV – and wants Putin to be seen.

Trump also appears to have forgotten the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl-winning team in 2000 – unless he thinks Trent Dilfer was an elite QB, as he did Joe Flacco

Trump appears to suggest US policy on Ukraine might change again, towards something like July, when he asked Zelensky: “Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? . Can you hit St Petersburg too?”.

Petrol prices in Russia have hit record highs and the fuel is in short supply in several regions as a result of Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries. The crisis prompted Moscow to suspend exports of petrol, @NastyaStognei and @fabrice_deprez report.

For Witkoff, who lost a son in the opioid epidemic, losing a child is a traumatic experience that transcends geopolitics. And he thought it worthwhile to give the medal to the CIA’s deputy director for digital innovation. “She wept with her husband.”

Lavrov says Russia wants a veto on any future security guarantees for Ukraine. EU efforts to develop Article 5-like arrangements with the US are a "road to nowhere.". Unclear what concessions Witkoff thought Trump got – this suggests Russia hasn't moved.

RT @thomas_m_wilson: The Secret World of Sanctioned Oil Trading: $1bn of unusual naval mortgages in Panama led me to a Swiss lawyer, an Ira….

RT @ChristopherJM: “For us in Ukraine it is something so obvious that we’re surprised to see political leaders in Washington who don’t seem….

“Continuing the war remains Putin’s only source of leverage to secure a desirable outcome, and he is unlikely to surrender this tool even under pressure,” writes @AlexGabuev .

RT @ChristopherJM: "To stand any chance of bringing peace to Ukraine, Trump has to grapple with the core contradiction: Ukraine will not ag….

Lavrov as bad cop:. – any Putin-Zelensky meeting has to be "prepared extremely carefully". – Russia will only agree to a deal that "respects" its security interests. – The "foundations of Ukraine's recognition as an independent state would disappear" if it aligns with the west

I don't think it's fair to say Trump is treating peace negotiations in Ukraine like a real estate deal – he seems to think they *actually are* a real estate deal.

Trump says he "began the arrangements" for Putin and Zelensky to meet after a call with the Russian president this evening. “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself.”

The Kremlin didn't confirm that Putin agreed, or is arranging, to meet Zelensky. Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy advisor, says they agreed to "support direct talks" and "discussed the idea of raising the level of Russia's and Ukraine's representatives."

RT @ChristopherJM: A letter for Melania and a suit. @JamesPoliti on how Zelenskyy charmed Trump in the Oval Office today. .

NEW: Ukraine will promise to buy $100bn of American weapons financed by Europe as part of a deal to obtain US guarantees for its security after a peace settlement with Russia, according to a document seen by @FT. w/ comrades @ChristopherJM @hallbenjamin.