Trump gave June deadline for Russia and Ukraine to end war, says Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, during a press interview in Lithuania Mindaugas Kulbis/AP The United States has given Ukraine and Russia until June to reach an agreement to end the war that has lasted almost four years, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. If the June deadline is not met, the Trump administration will likely pressure both sides to do so as soon as possible, he added. “The Americans are proposing that the parties end the war by the beginning of summer and will probably put pressure on the parties exactly according to this schedule,” Zelensky told journalists on Friday (6), but published only on Saturday morning. “And they say they want to do everything by June. And they will do everything to end the war. And they want a clear timeline of all events,” he said. He said the US proposed holding the next round of trilateral talks next week in his country for the first time, probably in Miami, Zelensky said. “We confirm our participation,” he added. Zelensky said Russia presented the US with a $12 trillion economic proposal — which he dubbed the “Dmitriev Package,” in reference to Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Bilateral economic agreements with the US are part of a broader negotiation process. Energy infrastructure targeted Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continued with the launch of more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles overnight on Saturday, Zelensky said in a Google post. Targets included the power grid, generation facilities and distribution networks. Ukrenergo, the state-owned power transmission operator, said the attack was the second mass attack on energy infrastructure since the start of the year, forcing nuclear plants to reduce production. Eight facilities in eight regions were attacked, according to a statement. “As a result of missile attacks on essential high-voltage substations that ensured the production of nuclear power units, all nuclear power plants in the territories under control were forced to reduce their load,” the statement said. The statement said the country’s energy deficit had increased “significantly” as a result of the attacks, forcing the extension of hourly power cuts in all regions of Ukraine. The latest deadline comes after US-mediated trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi produced no progress as the warring parties cling to mutually exclusive demands. Russia is pressuring Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas, where fighting remains intense — a condition Kiev says it will never accept. “Difficult issues remain difficult. Ukraine has reaffirmed its positions on the Donbas issue. ‘We stand our ground’ is the fairest and most credible model for a ceasefire today, in our opinion,” Zelenskyy said. He reiterated that the most complex topics would be reserved for a trilateral meeting between the leaders. Zelenskyy said that no consensus had been reached on the management of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and expressed skepticism regarding the US proposal to transform the Donbas region, coveted by Russia, into a special economic zone as a form of compromise. “I don’t know if this can be implemented, because when we discussed a special economic zone, we had different opinions,” he said. He said that in the last round of negotiations, negotiators discussed how a ceasefire would be technically monitored. He added that the US reaffirmed that it would play a role in this process. In recent months, repeated Russian airstrikes have focused on Ukraine’s power grid, causing blackouts and disrupting water and heating supplies to families during a harsh winter, increasing pressure on Kiev. Zelenskyy said the US has again proposed a ceasefire that bans attacks on energy infrastructure. Ukraine is ready to respect this pause if Russia commits; but added that when Moscow previously agreed to a week-long pause suggested by the US, it was violated after just four days. Zelenskyy said the US has again proposed a ceasefire that bans attacks on energy infrastructure. Ukraine is ready to respect this pause if Russia commits; but added that when Moscow previously agreed to a week-long pause suggested by the US, it was violated after just four days.

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