Peace Talks

President Trump had a call with Russian President Putin before hosting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at Mar-a-lago yesterday, all in hopes of closing out a peace agreement.

A key sticking point remains “territorial issues.” Moscow says any deal must give it ownership of the contested Donbas region—which is largely under Russian control—while Ukraine refuses to cede any of its pre-war territory. Additionally, Zelenskyy has signalled willingness to stop trying to join NATO but has questions on how security guarantees will be enforced if Ukraine doesn’t join the alliance.

The presidential peace talks followed a deadly weekend in Ukraine.

Russia launched strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing two, injuring 46, and knocking out power for more than a million households. Ukraine says private homes were targeted in the eastern city of Sloviansk, where one person died.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
War and its horrors sow fear, anxiety, and hopelessness. Yet because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can be confident that our joyful eternity is secure—no matter how dark earth’s headlines become.

“Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff ​— ​they comfort me.”
Psalms 23:4 (CSB) (read full passage)