The United States has given Ukraine and Russia until June to reach an agreement to end the nearly four-year war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, warning that Washington was likely to increase pressure on both sides if the deadline was not met.
In an interview with journalists, Zelenskyy said that the Trump administration wants a clear timetable for ending the conflict.
“The Americans propose that the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer, and they will probably put pressure on the parties exactly according to this schedule,” Zelenskyy said.
“And they say they want to get everything done by June. And they will do everything to end the war. And they want a clear schedule of all events.”
Next negotiations probably in the USA
Zelenskyy said Washington had proposed holding another round of trilateral talks – involving the US, Ukraine and Russia – in the United States next week, possibly in Miami.
“We have confirmed our participation,” he said.
The proposed meeting would mark the first such talks on American soil.
Russia’s $12 trillion proposal
Zelenskyy said Russia had submitted a sweeping $12 trillion economic proposal to the U.S. as part of the negotiations, which he called the “Dmitriev package,” named after Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Massive Russian strikes hit the energy sector
Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 400 drones and about 40 missiles overnight Saturday that targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
“Targets included the power grid, production facilities and distribution networks,” he said in a post on X.
Ukraine’s state energy transmission operator Ukrenergo said the attack was the second mass attack on energy infrastructure since the beginning of the year.
“As a result of missile strikes on key high-voltage substations that ensured the power of nuclear units, all nuclear power plants in the controlled territories were forced to reduce their load,” Ukrenergo said in a statement.
Eight facilities in eight regions were affected, significantly increasing the country’s energy deficit and forcing the spread of rolling blackouts nationwide, the company added.
No breakthrough in Abu Dhabi talks
The June deadline follows US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi that failed to produce a breakthrough as the two sides maintained conflicting demands.
Russia continues to press Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbass region, where fighting remains intense – a condition Kiev has repeatedly rejected.
“Difficult issues remained difficult,” Zelenskyy said.
“Ukraine has once again confirmed its positions on the issue of Donbass. ‘We stand where we stand’ is, in our opinion, the fairest and most reliable model of today’s ceasefire.”
He said the most sensitive issues were likely to be addressed only in a trilateral meeting between the leaders.
Disputes over the nuclear power plant, the Donbas proposal
Zelenskyy said no agreement had been reached on the management of the Russian-held Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and expressed skepticism about the US proposal to turn Donbass into a free economic zone.
Energy Strike Ceasefire Re-Proposed
Zelenskyy said negotiators also discussed how the ceasefire would be technically monitored, with the US reaffirming that it would play a role.
He added that Washington has again proposed a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure.
Ukraine is ready to observe such a pause if Russia obliges, he said, but noted that a previous US-proposed one-week pause was violated by Moscow after just four days.
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid have intensified in recent months, causing blackouts and disruptions to heating and water supplies during a bitter winter, further straining the country as the war drags on.
