Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said a US-Ukraine draft discussed in Geneva could serve as the basis for a future peace deal, noting that Washington had taken Russia’s positions into account but that key points still required negotiation. Earlier, Russian agencies said air defences shot down 118 Ukrainian drones overnight, 52 of them over the border region of Belgorod. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Kremlin officials confirmed Wednesday that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow next week as efforts pick up speed to find a consensus on ending the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.
- Witkoff’s role in the peace efforts came under renewed spotlight Tuesday when a report indicated that he coached a top aide to President Vladimir Putin on how Russia's leader should pitch a Ukraine deal to US President Donald Trump.
- Poland has chosen Sweden to build new submarines to boost its navy's capabilities in the context of the war in Ukraine and fears of Russian threats, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Makysz said.
- The International Monetary Fund said it reached a staff-level agreement on a new four-year, $8.2 billion programme for Ukraine as the country faces mounting wartime fiscal pressures.

