| December 01, 2025 08:03:13 AM |
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| December 01, 2025 08:03:13 AM |
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Diplomats face an uphill battle to reconcile Russian and Ukrainian “red lines” as a renewed U.S.-led push to end the war gathers steam, with Ukrainian officials attending talks in the U.S. over the weekend, and Washington officials expected in Moscow early this week.
Welcome to this week’s edition of AP Ground Game. |
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security of Ukraine shake hands Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Hallandale Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna) |
What to know about this week’s diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine |
President Donald Trump’s peace plan became public last month, sparking alarm that it was too favorable to Moscow, and undergoing revisions following U.S.-Ukraine talks in Geneva a week ago. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the revised plan could be “workable,” and Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a possible “basis” for a future peace agreement.
But officials on both sides indicated a long road ahead as key sticking points — over whether Kyiv should cede land to Moscow and how to ensure Ukraine's future security — appear unresolved.
Trump representatives met the Ukrainian officials over the weekend and plan to meet with the Russians this week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the weekend session was productive but more work remains. Ukraine’s national security council head Rustem Umerov praised the U.S. for its support but offered no details. Read more. |
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Of note: Trump said last week that he would send his envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Putin will host Witkoff for talks “in the first half” of the week.
Trump suggested he could eventually meet with Putin and Zelenskyy, but not until there has been more progress. |
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What to expect in Tennessee’s special congressional election |
Less than a month after Democrats scored a string of victories in the Nov. 4 general election, the next test at the ballot box for both parties heading into the 2026 midterm season will be Tuesday in a Tennessee special congressional election on usually reliable Republican turf.
House Republicans look to hold the seat in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District and pad their narrow 219-213 advantage in the chamber. Democrats hope to extend their winning streak by pulling off an upset in this Middle Tennessee district where Trump and other GOP candidates routinely win with around 60% of the vote.
Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn are the nominees to replace former GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned in July to join the private sector. Read more. |
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Of note: As the final high-profile head-to-head party matchup of the year, the race has attracted attention from national political figures. Trump phoned into a “tele-rally” for Van Epps on Nov. 13 just as early voting began. And Trump’s 2024 general election rival, former Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, appeared at a Nov. 18 event in Nashville to encourage Democratic turnout. |
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Suspect in National Guard attack struggled with ‘dark isolation’ |
The Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members blocks from the White House had been unraveling for years, unable to hold a job and flipping between long, lightless stretches of isolation and taking sudden weekslong cross-country drives. Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s behavior deteriorated so sharply that a community advocate reached out to a refugee organization for help, fearing he was becoming suicidal.
Emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal mounting warnings about the asylum-seeker whose erratic conduct raised alarms long before the attack that jolted the nation’s capital on Wednesday, the eve of Thanksgiving. The previously unreported concerns offer the clearest picture yet of how he was struggling in his new life in the United States.
Even so, when the community member who works with Afghan families in Washington state saw on the news that Lakanwal was named as the suspect in the attack, they said they were stunned, unable to square the violence with the memory of seeing Lakanwal play with his young sons. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to share undisclosed details while cooperating with the FBI in its investigation. Read more. |
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Of note: The community member, in an interview, spoke of becoming worried that Lakanwal was so depressed that he would end up harming himself. But the community member did not see any indication that Lakanwal would commit violence against another person. |
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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on Air Force One from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., to Joint Base Andrews, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
- Trump is expected to sign bills from Congress today.
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