SZ am Morgen: News of the day – the overview for those in a hurry

Zelensky and Putin are scheduled to meet soon. Trump gives the Ukrainian leader a warm welcome at the White House this time. Zelensky leaves the meeting with at least the prospect of potentially long-term protection, a speedy reunion with the US president, and a meeting with the Kremlin warlord. Read the article (SZ Plus)

• USA: Four insights from the summit in the White House (SZ Plus)

Merz hasn't ruled out German soldiers in Ukraine. The White House is holding intensive discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine. US President Trump is promising support – and the Chancellor says that a deployment of the Bundeswehr must also be discussed. Read the live blog.

Hamas apparently accepts new ceasefire proposal. In light of the looming escalation of the Gaza war, efforts to negotiate a new ceasefire are underway behind closed doors. The terrorist group claims to have responded "positively" to a new proposal from the mediators. This also includes the release of Israeli hostages. Read the live blog

Union politicians reject Klingbeil's tax proposal. The finance minister had suggested tax increases for top earners and the wealthy, but several leading politicians from the CDU and CSU rejected this. The coalition agreement does not envisage tax increases, but rather the goal of tax cuts, says Chancellor's Office Minister Frei. Read the live blog .

Almost half of long-distance trains are late. Outgoing Deutsche Bahn CEO Lutz had promised 65 to 70 percent of ICE and IC trains to be on time by 2025. But the figures for July show that the company is currently very far from achieving this goal. Only 56.1 percent of long-distance trains arrive on time. Read the article

The Bundesbank is facing criticism for the sharp rise in costs for the renovation of its headquarters. The German central bank likes to urge fiscal discipline, but the Federal Audit Office has reprimanded it for its own central construction project in Frankfurt. The court criticized the cost explosion from the originally planned €3.59 billion to €4.6 billion. Read the article

DFB Cup: Dortmund wins in Essen. The Bundesliga club struggles for a long time against the third-division side in an emotional derby. Guirassy scores the winning goal in the 79th minute. Despite progressing, Dortmund are presenting an alarming picture just days before the start of the new Bundesliga season. Read the article