Ukrainian President Emphasizes Commitment to Peace While Russia Continues Bombardments

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed optimism following recent discussions with U.S. representatives, including Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s peace envoy, and Jared Kushner, the U.S. president’s son-in-law. Zelensky described the conversation as “very constructive” and emphasized Ukraine’s determination to work with the U.S. to achieve a lasting peace. The talks, taking place in Miami, mark the third day of negotiations aimed at securing a peace deal with Russia, though Moscow has yet to show any signs of concession.

Despite these diplomatic efforts, Russia continues its relentless attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, with recent strikes targeting key locations such as a railway hub in Fastiv and energy facilities across eight regions. The attacks have resulted in widespread blackouts and significant damage to critical infrastructure. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 653 Shahed-type attack drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 17 ballistic missiles at targets across the country, with the main targets being energy infrastructure.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged full solidarity with Ukraine and confirmed his participation in upcoming talks with Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London. These discussions will focus on the ongoing efforts to secure Ukraine’s post-war security and the potential deployment of a European peacekeeping force. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has firmly rejected the idea, stating that any troops deployed to Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets.

U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have been trying to narrow their gaps over Trump’s plan to end Europe’s deadliest and most devastating conflict since World War Two, with Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on Russian terms, including territorial concessions. Zelensky could visit the U.S. in the next few days to finalize a deal with Trump, Ukraine’s national security chief Rustem Umerov said earlier on Tuesday, though there was no immediate confirmation of such a trip from the U.S. side.

The 28-point peace plan that emerged last week caught many in the U.S. government, Kyiv, and Europe alike off guard and prompted fresh concerns that the Trump administration might be willing to push Ukraine to sign a peace deal heavily tilted toward Russia. The plan would require Ukraine to yield territory beyond the almost 20% that Russia has captured since its February 2022 full-scale invasion, as well as accept curbs on its military and bar it from ever joining NATO, conditions Ukraine has long rejected as tantamount to surrender.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said an amended peace plan must reflect the “spirit and letter” of an understanding reached between Putin and Trump at their Alaska summit. If the spirit and letter of Anchorage are erased in terms of the key understandings we have established, it will be a fundamentally different situation for Russia.

Ukrainian officials have joined the call from Miami, where they are engaged in a third day of talks on U.S. efforts to engineer a peace deal with Russia. Earlier, Macron confirmed that he would join Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in talks in London on Monday. The four leaders will discuss the ongoing talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials aimed at finding an agreement on guaranteeing Ukraine’s post-war security. Two weeks earlier, the four met virtually to discuss a European peacekeeping force that could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.