Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin each spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, marking Trump's 80th birthday and ahead of this week’s G7 summit. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin and Trump discussed Ukraine and U.S.-Russia relations, and that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Russia soon. Zelenskyy said he and Trump discussed steps toward peace, with further talks planned at the G7. Separate Ukrainian drone attacks killed one person each in Russia’s Oryol and Bryansk regions. Britain separately detained a tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

Britain’s armed forces have boarded and detained a sanctioned tanker, the Smyrtos, in the English Channel. The U.K. Defense Ministry described the operation as its first of this kind. The vessel is suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” used to ship oil in breach of sanctions imposed over Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The ship was boarded Sunday and will be held and monitored off England’s south coast while investigations continue. The operation was carried out alongside French authorities, who have previously intercepted similar vessels. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the action sends a message that those supporting Russia’s war effort “cannot hide.”

The United States and Iran appear close to a deal to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan's prime minister said Saturday that a deal was closer than ever before and expected to be finalized within 24 hours. Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the agreement, followed immediately by technical-level talks next week. U.S. President Donald Trump said the deal was “scheduled to get signed tomorrow,” and that the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said no signing would occur Sunday but left the possibility open for the coming days.

The Texas Attorney General's office has notified the Big 12 of potential legal action from Texas Tech. This follows a court order allowing quarterback Brendan Sorsby to regain NCAA eligibility despite gambling on sports. The Big 12's executive board met Thursday to discuss options after a Texas court issued a temporary injunction Monday that prevents the NCAA from enforcing its ban on Sorsby. He had been ruled ineligible after betting on his own team while at Indiana. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark says the board will meet Monday to decide on a course of action.

Cuba’s top diplomat to the United States says recent sanctions targeting the island's leadership and the indictment of former President Raúl Castro are a “pretext” for the Trump administration to persuade the American people to support a U.S. military intervention in Cuba. In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera complained bitterly that the U.S. is targeting Cuban civilians with its decades-old embargo and new blockade of energy shipments to the island. She described the situation as “a war without bombs.” Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba for months, while his energy blockade has choked off fuel shipments.

Trump administration sanctions on Cuban leaders are a 'pretext' for military action, Cuba’s top diplomat to US tells AP.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have underscored their commitment to deepen cooperation in a closely watched summit. Xi traveled to Pyongyang on Monday in a likely attempt to reassert China's unique influence over its socialist neighbor. In a meeting with Kim, Xi expressed China’s willingness to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade, agriculture and technology. Kim said consolidating a new era of friendship between the two countries is the “unchanging strategic choice” of North Korea, according to Chinese state media.

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called a U.S. push for denuclearization of North Korea “anachronistic dream." Kim Yo Jong said Sunday North Korea will only steadily expand its nuclear arsenal in the face of U.S.-led threats. Her statement came a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping visits North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un, in his first visit to the country in seven years. Experts say Kim Jong Un wants an international recognition as a nuclear state so that he could demand lifting of international economic sanctions on North Korea.