Washington/Kyiv, Feb 7 (.) The US has given Ukraine and Russia until June to reach an agreement to end the nearly four-year war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as the Ukrainian energy infrastructure faced a fresh wave of Russian attacks, forcing Ukraine’s nuclear power plants to reduce output.
Speaking to reporters on Friday in remarks released Saturday, the Ukrainian leader said that Washington wants a clear timetable to wrap up the war by early summer and is prepared to apply as much pressure as it can, in order to end the war, reports CBS News.
“The Americans are proposing that the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer,” he said. “They want a clear schedule of all events, and they will do everything to end the war by June.”
Zelensky added that Washington has proposed hosting the next round of trilateral talks as early as next week – possibly in Miami – potentially marking the first time the discussions are held on US soil. “We confirmed our participation,” he said.
He also disclosed that Moscow had presented Washington with a sweeping economic proposal valued at around $12 trillion, which he referred to as the “Dmitriev package,” after Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Bilateral economic arrangements with the US, Zelensky said, are being discussed as part of the broader negotiating track.
Despite diplomatic channels remaining more open than before, the on-ground fighting has noticeably intensified, with Zelensky claiming that Russia launched more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles overnight on Saturday, targeting Ukraine’s energy grid, power generation facilities and distribution networks.
Ukraine’s state electricity transmission operator Ukrenergo said the barrage marked the second mass strike on energy infrastructure this year. Eight facilities across eight regions were hit, forcing nuclear power plants in government-controlled territory to cut output.
“Due to missile strikes on key high-voltage substations that ensured the output of nuclear power units, all nuclear power plants under our control were forced to reduce their load,” Ukrenergo said, warning that the power deficit had grown “significantly” and that rolling outages would be extended nationwide.
The June timeline follows US-brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi that ended inconclusively, as both sides continue fighting.
Russia, as part of the settlement process, has continued to press Ukraine to withdraw its entire military contingent from the Donbas, and cede the territory to Moscow – an option Kyiv has flatly rejected, as it has refused to cede any territory to end the war.
Russian forces so far maintain a decisive edge in the war, and possess control of over 20-25% of Ukrainian territory, with 90% of Donbas currently already under Moscow’s control, making it a focal point of the conflict, as the region has witnessed some of the most intense fighting since the Russian capture.
“Difficult issues remained difficult,” Zelensky said. “Ukraine once again confirmed its position on the Donbas. ‘We stand where we stand’ is the fairest model for a ceasefire today.” He said the most sensitive questions would be reserved for a leaders-level trilateral meeting.
Zelensky also said there was no agreement on the future management of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and voiced doubts about the US idea to turn parts of Donbas into a free economic zone as a compromise.
“We had different views on what a free economic zone would mean,” he noted.
Nonetheless, negotiators conducted discussions regarding how a ceasefire could be technically monitored, with the US reaffirming it would play a role in its verification.
Repeated Russian aerial assaults in recent months have zeroed in on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, triggering blackouts and disrupting heating and water supplies during the winter, compounding pressure on Kyiv.
Zelensky said Washington has again floated a ceasefire banning strikes on energy infrastructure. Ukraine is ready to comply if Russia does the same, he said, but cautioned that a previous Washington-backed pause was broken after just four days.
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