Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the United States is aiming to bring the war with Russia to an end by June, revealing that both Kyiv and Moscow have been invited to attend talks in the US as early as next week.
According to Zelensky, Washington has, for the first time, proposed a direct meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams on American soil, with Miami mentioned as a possible venue. Ukraine has already confirmed its willingness to participate. Neither the US nor Russia has officially commented on the proposal so far.
The initiative comes as US President Donald Trump continues to push for a negotiated settlement to the conflict, a priority he has repeatedly highlighted since returning to office more than a year ago.
Zelensky made the remarks after the conclusion of a second round of US-facilitated discussions held in Abu Dhabi, which ended on Friday without any announced breakthrough. He acknowledged that key disagreements remain unresolved, particularly over territorial issues, where Ukraine is facing pressure to make concessions.
The Ukrainian leader also disclosed that, for the first time, the talks touched on the possibility of a future trilateral meeting involving national leaders rather than just negotiators. However, he cautioned that such a summit would require extensive preparation.
Asked whether a deadline had been set for a peace agreement, Zelensky said US officials had expressed a desire to finalize a deal by June. He suggested that domestic political considerations in the United States could be influencing this timeline, without going into further detail.
While diplomatic efforts continue, Russia has intensified strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, deepening power shortages during freezing winter conditions. Ukraine’s energy minister reported large-scale attacks on substations, power lines and generation facilities, describing them as a deliberate attempt to weaken the national power grid.
Ukraine’s grid operator said the latest assaults had significantly increased the electricity deficit, prompting Kyiv to request emergency power supplies from neighbouring Poland. Zelensky stated that the overnight attack involved hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, most of which were intercepted by air defences, though some caused damage in multiple regions.
Several power plants in western Ukraine were hit, leaving thousands of households without electricity. Energy company DTEK said the strikes marked the tenth major assault on its facilities since October 2025 and noted that its thermal power plants have been targeted more than 220 times since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.
The attacks also caused civilian casualties and damage to homes and critical infrastructure in several regions. In Kyiv and surrounding areas, residents once again sought shelter in metro stations as air raid sirens sounded.
Ukraine has also continued to strike targets inside Russia, with Ukrainian security sources reporting an attack on a factory producing missile fuel components in the Tver region. Moscow has not commented on the incident.
Russia, meanwhile, has accused Ukraine of undermining peace efforts. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov alleged that Kyiv was behind the recent shooting of a senior Russian general, claiming the incident was intended to disrupt negotiations. Responsibility for the attack has not been established.
Zelensky has previously said that around 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the invasion began in February 2022. Independent reporting has confirmed tens of thousands of Russian military deaths as well.
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