China is willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine as part of a future agreement to end the war with Russia. This was reported by the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, citing European diplomatic sources who in turn reported the position learned from the Chinese government's entourage. The condition, it is understood, is that the UN requests Beijing's intervention. According to what was reported in recent days by the American newspaper Axios, Russian President Vladimir Putin himself suggested a Chinese guarantor role, while he is strongly opposed to the deployment of NATO troops to the neighboring country. A position confirmed by Moscow's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, who in this regard recalled how this option was already present in the agreement drawn up in Istanbul in the first months after the invasion.

Meanwhile, in his speech marking Ukrainian Flag Day, Volodymyr Zelensky once again rejected the idea of granting territory to Russia as part of a potential agreement."This flag is the goal and dream of many of our citizens in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. And they guard this flag safely, because they know that we will not cede our land to the occupier," the president said."I thank all those who contribute their personal strength to the strength of the Ukrainian nation. And we will always remember our heroes from different eras who fought for freedom with our flag in their hands," he added.

On the ground, meanwhile, Russia launched a strike with 49 drones during the night between Friday and Saturday, 13 of which struck seven Ukrainian towns in the regions of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Sumy, according to the Kiev Air Force, adding that 36 aircraft were neutralized. Russian forces, through a statement from the Ministry of Defense, claimed control of two other towns in the Donetsk region, Kleban-Byk and Sredneye.