Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with his British,
French and German counterparts in London today.
As Terry Schultz reports,
the European leaders are looking to reaffirm their support for Kyiv in Russia's war with Ukraine.
Ahead of the meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky,
French President Emmanuel Macron writes on X that France remains determined to work with partners to secure de-escalation measures and to impose a ceasefire.
Europeans will necessarily be a key pillar of the just and lasting solution we are collectively building to end Russia's war on Ukraine,
he says.
Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are also determined to convince their Belgian colleague Bart de Vever to agree to allow more than 100 billion euros of frozen Russian assets held in Belgium be used as collateral for a loan to Ukraine.
Dvever says other European Union governments haven't yet agreed to his requirements,
including agreeing to share the burden of paying back the money to Moscow if that becomes necessary.
President Trump continues to push Kyiv and Moscow to agree to his latest ceasefire proposal.
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law,
Jared Kushner, met for several days in Florida late last week with Ukraine's lead negotiator.
Qatar says formal negotiations between Israel and Hamas have yet to begin on the next phase of their ceasefire agreement.
NPR's Daniel Estrin has more from Doha.
One last Israeli hostage body needs to be handed over from Hamas to Israel,
and then the ceasefire's second phase can begin, says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
That phase would include Hamas laying down its weapons and Israeli troops withdrawing.