Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint information convention with NATO Secretary Common Mark Rutte in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
Sergei Grits/AP
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Sergei Grits/AP
KYIV, Ukraine — The U.S. has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to achieve a deal to finish the almost 4‑yr warfare, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy advised reporters, as Russian strikes on vitality infrastructure pressured nuclear energy vegetation to chop output on Saturday.
If the June deadline shouldn’t be met, the Trump administration will doubtless put strain on each side to satisfy it, he added.
“The Individuals are proposing the events finish the warfare by the start of this summer season and can in all probability put strain on the events exactly in accordance with this schedule,” Zelenskyy mentioned, talking to reporters on Friday. Zelenskyy’s feedback have been embargoed till Saturday morning.
“And so they say that they wish to do every part by June. And they’ll do every part to finish the warfare. And so they need a clear schedule of all occasions,” he mentioned.
He mentioned the U.S. proposed holding the subsequent spherical of trilateral talks subsequent week of their nation for the primary time, doubtless in Miami, Zelenskyy mentioned. “We confirmed our participation,” he added.
Zelenskyy mentioned Russia introduced the U.S. with a $12 trillion financial proposal — which he dubbed the “Dmitriev package deal” after Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Bilateral financial offers with the U.S. type a part of the broader negotiating course of.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian vitality infrastructure continued with over 400 drones and about 40 missiles launched in a single day Saturday, Zelenskyy mentioned in a publish on X. Targets included the vitality grid, era services and distribution networks.
Ukrenergo, the state vitality transmission operator, mentioned the assault was the second mass strike on vitality infrastructure because the begin of the yr, forcing nuclear energy vegetation to scale back output. Eight services in eight areas got here beneath assault, it mentioned in a press release.
“On account of missile strikes on key high-voltage substations that ensured the output of nuclear energy models, all nuclear energy vegetation within the territories beneath management have been pressured to scale back their load,” the assertion mentioned.
It mentioned the ability deficit within the nation has elevated “considerably” on account of the assaults forcing an extension of hourly energy outages in all areas of Ukraine.
The most recent deadline follows U.S.-brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi that produced no breakthrough because the fighters cling to mutually unique calls for. Russia is urgent Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas, the place preventing stays intense — a situation Kyiv says it should by no means settle for.
“Troublesome points remained troublesome. Ukraine as soon as once more confirmed its positions on the Donbas difficulty. ‘We stand the place we stand’ is the fairest and most dependable mannequin for a ceasefire right now, in our opinion,” Zelenskyy mentioned. He reiterated that probably the most difficult subjects could be reserved for a trilateral assembly between leaders.
Zelenskyy mentioned no widespread floor was reached on managing the Russian‑held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and expressed skepticism a few U.S. proposal to show the Donbas area, coveted by Russia, right into a free financial zone as a compromise.
“I have no idea whether or not this may be applied, as a result of after we talked a few free financial zone, we had totally different views on it,” he mentioned.
He mentioned within the final spherical of talks the negotiators mentioned how a ceasefire could be technically monitored. He added that the U.S. has reaffirmed it will play a task in that course of.
Repeated Russian aerial assaults have in latest months centered on Ukraine’s energy grid, inflicting blackouts and disrupting the heating and water provide for households throughout a bitterly chilly winter, placing extra strain on Kyiv.
Zelenskyy mentioned the U.S. once more proposed a ceasefire banning strikes on vitality infrastructure. Ukraine is able to observe such a pause if Russia commits; however he added that when Moscow beforehand agreed to a one-week pause urged by the U.S., it was violated after simply 4 days.
