Ukraine’s Peace Deadline Set by U.S. Amid Ongoing Airstrikes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has announced that the United States has established a new deadline for Ukraine and Russia to negotiate a peace deal, aiming for the war to conclude by June. This development comes as Russia intensifies airstrikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leading to widespread power outages.
During a press briefing on Friday, Zelenskiy mentioned his expectation that the Trump administration would exert pressure on both nations to agree to the June timeline.
“The United States has suggested that the war be wrapped up by the beginning of this summer and will likely push both sides to adhere to this timeline,” he stated. “They want this completed by June and plan to take all necessary actions to bring an end to the conflict, along with a clear outline of what needs to happen.”
Zelenskiy also indicated that the U.S. has proposed a tripartite meeting on American soil next week, potentially in Miami.
In a video posted to X on Friday, he explained that the negotiating team in Ukraine was having direct consultations and that they would be reporting on sensitive aspects of negotiations that cannot be addressed over the phone. This information would come from discussions happening in Abu Dhabi.
“We are gearing up for the next tripartite meeting,” the Ukrainian leader added.
“Diplomacy through Congress is proving to be effective in the U.S.,” he mentioned, referring to Congressional Speaker Ruslan Stefanchik, who had brief talks about priorities with House Speaker Mike Johnson and other lawmakers.
“Mr. Ruslan has already met with Speaker Johnson and several friends of Ukraine in Congress,” he explained.
Earlier this week, U.S.-mediated tripartite discussions took place in Abu Dhabi, but they yielded no positive results.
On Saturday night, Russian airstrikes persisted, with over 400 drones and approximately 40 missiles targeting various components of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including power generation and distribution networks. The state energy company, Ukrenergo, reported that this represented a significant escalation in attacks on energy infrastructure, affecting several facilities across different regions and worsening power shortages.
“Following the missile attack on crucial high-voltage substations, all of the nuclear power plants in the affected area had to reduce their operations,” the operator noted.
On Saturday, Zelenskiy suggested that the June deadline may be linked to Donald Trump’s candidacy in the upcoming midterm elections, given Trump’s prior commitment to resolve the war on his first day if he were to be elected.
“The election is certainly a major factor,” Zelenskiy stated. “We shouldn’t be naive about this. But if Russia is genuinely willing to end the war, establishing a deadline is quite significant.”
