Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint information convention with NATO Secretary Basic Mark Rutte in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
Sergei Grits/AP
conceal caption
toggle caption
Sergei Grits/AP
KYIV, Ukraine — The U.S. has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to succeed in a deal to finish the practically 4‑12 months struggle, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy advised reporters, as Russian strikes on power infrastructure pressured nuclear energy crops to chop output on Saturday.
If the June deadline just isn’t met, the Trump administration will possible put strain on each side to satisfy it, he added.
“The Individuals are proposing the events finish the struggle by the start of this summer season and can most likely put strain on the events exactly in response to this schedule,” Zelenskyy mentioned, chatting with reporters on Friday. Zelenskyy’s feedback had been embargoed till Saturday morning.
“They usually say that they need to do every part by June. And they’re going to do every part to finish the struggle. They usually desire 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, possible 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. kind a part of the broader negotiating course of.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian power infrastructure continued with over 400 drones and about 40 missiles launched in a single day Saturday, Zelenskyy mentioned in a submit on X. Targets included the power grid, technology services and distribution networks.
Ukrenergo, the state power transmission operator, mentioned the assault was the second mass strike on power infrastructure for the reason that begin of the 12 months, forcing nuclear energy crops to scale back output. Eight services in eight areas got here below assault, it mentioned in a press release.
“On account of missile strikes on key high-voltage substations that ensured the output of nuclear energy items, all nuclear energy crops within the territories below management had been pressured to scale back their load,” the assertion mentioned.
It mentioned the ability deficit within the nation has elevated “considerably” because 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 opponents 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 would by no means settle for.
“Troublesome points remained tough. Ukraine as soon as once more confirmed its positions on the Donbas problem. ‘We stand the place we stand’ is the fairest and most dependable mannequin for a ceasefire at the moment, in our opinion,” Zelenskyy mentioned. He reiterated that essentially the most difficult matters 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 couple of 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 once we talked a couple of free financial zone, we had completely 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 could play a job in that course of.
Repeated Russian aerial assaults have in latest months targeted 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 power 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.
