Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that Russia might intensify its aerial assaults on Kiev, leading to significant discussions between President Trump and Vladimir Putin.
This cautionary note comes just as Zelensky is set to travel to Washington, D.C. for a meeting with Trump on Monday—scheduled shortly after a bilateral summit in Alaska, which didn’t yield any ceasefire results.
Zelensky shared, “Given the current political and diplomatic context regarding Ukraine, we predict that the Russian military may increase its strikes on Ukrainian positions to create a more beneficial political environment for talks with global leaders.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have reported that Russian troops have taken control of two more villages in the eastern Donetsk region.
Donetsk, which is in territory occupied by Russia, has become a crucial battleground in recent months.
Last week, Putin mentioned to special forces mission leader Steve Witkov that he would be open to ending the nearly three-year-long invasion of Ukraine in exchange for Donetsk, hoping Ukraine would withdraw from the last 30% of the region they still hold as part of a ceasefire agreement.
Zelensky described the situation in Donetsk as “very difficult,” though he noted that his forces have managed some successful counterattacks.
Just hours before the Alaska summit, Russian air raids resulted in the deaths of at least six Ukrainian civilians and left about 17 others injured. Local officials reported nearly 100 drones and two missiles were launched by Moscow.
Zelensky’s planned visit to the White House was announced following a nearly two-hour phone conversation with Trump, who was on Air Force 1 returning from Anchorage.
In other news, at least 11 people lost their lives in a factory fire in Russia on Friday.
