After deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, Zelensky blasted Moscow and urged harsher sanctions, warning that Trump’s peace interventions have yielded “absolutely no impact.”
Ukraine’s capital Kyiv reeled Saturday after overnight Russian missile and drone strikes ripped through residential areas, escalating the war even as US President Donald Trump pushes for peace talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that a five-story building in Zaporizhzhia was hit, killing at least one and wounding dozens, including children. In his nightly address, he said nearly 540 drones were fired at Ukraine in the latest wave of attacks.
“Volyn, Dnipro, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Rivne, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, and Chernihiv regions were all affected,” Zelensky reported.
The Ukrainian leader lashed out at Moscow, declaring that Russia has used the peace window to plan “massive new attacks.” He demanded “tough banking and energy sanctions” and punishment for those financing the Kremlin’s war.
“The only way to reopen diplomacy is with strict measures against Moscow,” Zelensky insisted.
Trump’s Strained Peace Efforts
President Trump has met both Vladimir Putin and Zelensky in recent weeks, touting “huge progress” toward peace and promising a trilateral summit. Yet no date has been set, and attacks on both sides are intensifying.
Trump privately fumed that Putin “talks nice and then bombs everybody,” while also criticizing Ukraine for its retaliatory strikes on Russian refineries. The White House has been muted in its response, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noting that Ukraine “has been striking Russian oil refineries” when pressed on Russia’s latest bombardment.
Diplomatic Maneuvering
Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, met Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in New York on Friday to coordinate next steps. Yermak emphasized Ukraine’s commitment to US-led diplomacy but warned that Russia is stalling every peace initiative.
“Unfortunately, Russia is failing to fulfill anything necessary to end the war and is clearly dragging out the hostilities,” Yermak said.
Ukraine has already accepted a US-backed proposal for a ceasefire and leaders’ summit. Russia, however, is resisting, insisting that lower-level officials must first hammer out the details before Putin and Zelensky meet face-to-face.
The Road Ahead
With European leaders expected to meet Zelensky next week, Ukraine hopes to build momentum for a settlement. But for now, the reality is grim: Moscow continues to pound cities, civilians pay the price, and Trump’s much-trumpeted “deal-making” remains stuck in neutral.
