In the day's other headlines, Iran's supreme leader said initial talks with the U.S. over his

country's rapidly developing nuclear program were taken well. But he downplayed prospects for a deal.

In his first comment since negotiators met last Saturday, Ayatollah Ali-Kamaneh said he's neither

overly optimistic nor overly pessimistic about the new dialogue.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has walked back comments that suggested a willingness to allow

Tehran to enrich uranium at a low level. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff made that suggestion last

night on Fox News.

This is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program and then ultimately verification on weaponization. We're here to see if we can solve this situation diplomatically and

with dialogue. Taking to social media today, Whitkoff called on Iran to dismantle its nuclear program

altogether. The next round of talks is expected this weekend, either in Rome, as U.S.

officials initially indicated, or in Oman, where last week's meetings took place.

Russia today said that recent talks with the U.S. were constructive,

but they wouldn't give any sort of timetable for a peace agreement on Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters that there are no clear outlines,

but there is a political will to move towards this agreement.

Kiev and some of its European allies have accused Moscow of dragging out talks because it's not

serious about wanting to end the war.

Today, NATO Secretary General Mark Ruta visited wounded soldiers in Ukraine with President Volodemir Zelensky.

He indicated a willingness to give the discussions time to progress.

These discussions are not easy, not least in the wake of this horrific violence.

But we all support President Trump's push for peace. Other allies, including through efforts led by France and the United Kingdom,

are ready, willing and able to shoulder more responsibility in helping to secure peace when the time comes.

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