Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that "both Europe and Ukraine are done for" if Russia makes a deal with the United States. Lukashenko claimed Moscow and Washington would hold Europe's fate "in their hands" during any talks to end the Ukraine conflict.

Russian forces have recaptured Sudzha, the largest town that Ukraine once occupied in the Kursk region, according to Moscow, threatening Kyiv’s sole territorial bargaining chip amid pressure to negotiate an end to the war.