Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a Bloomberg interview this morning that US and Ukrainian negotiators remain divided on key issues, including clarity over US security guarantees and the Donbas region, as further discussions are needed on these sensitive matters. Zelensky, speaking ahead of meetings in London today with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German politician Friedrich Merz, questioned what partners would do if Russia restarts the war. President Trump criticized him overnight, according to a post by Alex Wickham quoting the Bloomberg interview posted over the past hour. In other developments over the past hour, Punchbowl News reported that with two weeks left in the congressional session, lawmakers are racing to complete the National Defense Authorization Act amid a high-stakes health care fight, as health care and defense issues dominate Capitol Hill. Republican Senators Sherrod Brown and Susan Collins proposed a plan to extend Obamacare subsidies for two years, according to Punchbowl News. Separately, Punchbowl noted President Trump's national security strategy is splitting defense hawks, while Hill staffers, including Democrats, view Senate GOP leader John Thune as the most effective leader. An Axios column highlighted President Trump's aggressive push on AI policy, with Steve Bannon stating the "broligarchs are detested not simply by MAGA but America as a whole - they unite the populist left and right," as posted by Mike Allen. CNN reported that Pete Hegseth, a 2016 Trump supporter now linked to defense discussions, repeatedly warned that Trump might issue unlawful military orders, according to KFILE, as shared by Aaron Blake over the past hour.
