The D Brief: ‘Start negotiations immediately’; Gabbard, intel chief; 5K troops at border; State Dept.’s armored Teslas?; And just a bit more.

Kyiv’s allies across Europe are increasingly anxious after the leaders of Russia and the United States discussed Vladimir Putin’s ongoing Ukraine invasion over the phone on Wednesday. Opening moves: U.S. President Donald Trump said the two men “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately” to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Kremlin said Putin wants to “eliminate the root causes” of the invasion, which the U.S.-based Institute