The United States has given Ukraine and Russia a deadline until June to reach an agreement to end the nearly four-year war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as fresh Russian attacks severely damaged the country’s energy infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy said the Trump administration wants the war to end by early summer and is likely to pressure both sides if no deal is reached by then.
“The Americans want to do everything by June. They want a clear schedule and will push both sides according to this timeline,” Zelenskyy said. His comments were made on Friday but released on Saturday.
He said the US has proposed holding the next round of trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States next week, possibly in Miami. Ukraine has confirmed its participation, he added.
Zelenskyy also said Russia has submitted a massive $12 trillion economic proposal to the US, referred to as the “Dmitriev package,” named after Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Economic cooperation with the US is part of the broader negotiation process, he noted.
Meanwhile, Russian forces launched more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles overnight, targeting Ukraine’s energy grid, power generation facilities and distribution networks, Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
Ukraine’s state energy operator Ukrenergo said the strikes forced nuclear power plants to reduce output after key high-voltage substations were hit. Eight energy facilities in eight regions were damaged in what it called the second major attack on energy infrastructure this year.
As a result, Ukraine’s power shortage has worsened significantly, leading to extended scheduled power outages across the country, the operator said.
The June deadline follows US-brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi that failed to produce progress, as both sides maintained firm and opposing positions. Russia continues to demand Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donbas region, a condition Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.
“Ukraine has once again confirmed its position on Donbas. We stand where we stand,” Zelenskyy said, adding that the most difficult issues should be discussed directly at the leaders’ level.
He said no agreement was reached on the management of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and voiced doubts about a US proposal to turn the Donbas into a free economic zone as a compromise.
Zelenskyy said the talks also covered how a potential ceasefire would be monitored, with the US reaffirming its role in that process.
He added that Washington again proposed a ceasefire banning attacks on energy infrastructure. Ukraine is ready to accept such a deal if Russia complies. However, he noted that a previous US-backed pause was broken by Russia after just four days.