Ukraine war briefing: Beijing confirms historic Xi-Trump-Putin meeting under discussion

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, confirmed at a press briefing that China "is in communication with relevant parties regarding a meeting between the three heads of state." The potential summit would take place during the Apec gathering in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese city. Russia reportedly hopes to use the meeting to bring China and the US closer to Moscow's positions on Ukraine.

Ukraine under attack

Ukraine again came under Russian attack on Saturday, with President Zelenskyy warning of new strikes against critical infrastructure. We have intelligence at this time that Russia is preparing new strikes on energy, on bridges across the Dnipro, on civilian infrastructure, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

Civilian casualties

A missile attack early Saturday damaged a residential building in Kyiv, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The city's military administration reported two people injured and damage to a building housing a kindergarten. Ukrainian cities have been subjected to near-constant attacks for several weeks.

Postwar security concerns

President Zelenskyy is seeking specific guarantees from western allies on postwar security support. "What matters is that it's clear on paper," Zelenskyy said in an interview. "The question isn't dozens of points, but simply an understanding of the outcome: If Russia starts [attacking] again, what will happen?"

These comments followed Brussels discussions among US, UK, French, German, and EU officials, along with World Bank and BlackRock representatives, focusing on postwar security and reconstruction. Ukraine, Russia, and the US are also scheduled to hold trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi next week, the first such discussions since February.