If it's Thursday, new reporting on secret back-channel talks with the Kremlin,

new weapons for Ukraine, new Russian provocations against the U.S., and new questions about the future of the war and the U.S.'s response.

Plus, Trump's alleged co-conspirator pleads not guilty in federal court as new details emerge in multiple

criminal cases tied to the former president and the 2024 Republican frontrunner.

And the presidential battleground of Ohio is poised to become the latest abortion rights battleground

as activists move one step closer to getting a constitutional

amendment on the ballot and what could be a crucial political test for both parties ahead of

2024.

Hello and welcome to meet the press.

Now I'm Ryan Nobles in for Chuck Todd.

And we begin today with some dramatic developments tied to the war in Ukraine and the U.S.'s involvement in the conflict. As President Biden prepares to meet with NATO leaders in Europe in just a few days.

NBC has exclusive reporting that a group of former senior U.S. national security officials

have had secret talks with Russian officials, including Putin's top diplomat.

According to a half a dozen people briefed on the discussions, the group huddled in April

in an attempt to begin to lay the groundwork for negotiations to end the war.

A spokesman for the White House National Security Council declined to comment, and Russia's

embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Now, while Ukrainian officials would not comment on the specifics

of the report, a Ukrainian official said that their position is unchanged, that the fate of Ukraine

cannot be decided without Ukraine. Now, that development comes as Russia continues to face the fallout

from last month's rebellion by Russian mercenaries in the Wagner Group, which led to the exile

of the group's leader, Yvgeny Progosin. Earlier today, NBC News was invited to a rare news conference

...