Kyiv — The United States has privately set a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement to end their nearly four-year-long war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed, as Russia escalated large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, forcing nuclear power plants to reduce output and deepening nationwide power shortages.
Speaking to reporters following meetings in Kyiv with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Zelenskyy said Washington has communicated a clear timeline for concluding negotiations, signaling that failure to meet the deadline could result in increased pressure on both Moscow and Kyiv.
According to Zelenskyy, U.S. officials have made it clear that they want the conflict resolved by early summer and are pushing for a tightly structured schedule of diplomatic steps to achieve that outcome. His comments, delivered on Friday, were released publicly on Saturday due to an embargo.
“The Americans want this war ended by the beginning of summer,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Washington intends to apply pressure in line with that timeline if progress stalls.
Trilateral Talks Likely to Move to the U.S.
Zelenskyy confirmed that the United States has proposed hosting the next round of trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. on American soil for the first time. The discussions could take place as early as next week, with Miami cited as a possible venue. Kyiv has already agreed to participate.
The proposed meeting follows recent U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi that failed to produce a breakthrough, largely due to entrenched and incompatible positions held by the two warring sides.
Russia continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from parts of the Donbas region, where heavy fighting persists. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected this condition, calling it non-negotiable.
“Difficult issues remained difficult,” Zelenskyy said, reiterating Ukraine’s refusal to concede territory. He emphasized that the most sensitive questions would need to be addressed directly at the leadership level.
Russia’s Massive Economic Proposal to the U.S.
Zelenskyy also disclosed that Russia has presented the United States with an expansive economic proposal reportedly valued at $12 trillion. The plan, referred to by Kyiv as the “Dmitriev package” after Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, includes the prospect of large-scale bilateral economic cooperation between Moscow and Washington as part of the broader negotiation framework.
While details of the proposal remain unclear, Zelenskyy suggested that Russia is attempting to leverage economic incentives to influence the diplomatic process.
He expressed skepticism over another U.S. proposal floated during talks — the idea of transforming the Russia-coveted Donbas region into a free economic zone as a compromise. According to Zelenskyy, negotiators held sharply differing interpretations of how such a model would function, raising doubts about its feasibility.
Energy Infrastructure Under Sustained Attack
As diplomatic efforts continue, Ukraine is facing renewed pressure on the battlefield, particularly through sustained strikes on critical energy facilities.
Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 400 drones and approximately 40 missiles overnight, targeting power generation facilities, transmission infrastructure, and distribution networks across the country.
Ukraine’s state energy transmission operator, Ukrenergo, confirmed that eight energy facilities across eight regions were hit in what it described as the second mass attack on energy infrastructure since the beginning of the year.
The strikes damaged key high-voltage substations responsible for supporting nuclear power generation, forcing all nuclear plants operating in Ukrainian-controlled territory to significantly reduce output.
“As a result, the national power deficit has increased substantially,” Ukrenergo said, noting that extended rolling blackouts have now been implemented across all regions.
The attacks have worsened conditions for civilians already struggling through a harsh winter, with repeated disruptions to electricity, heating, and water supplies placing additional strain on households and local authorities.
Ceasefire on Energy Strikes Still Uncertain
Zelenskyy said Washington has once again proposed a limited ceasefire that would prohibit attacks on energy infrastructure — a measure Ukraine is prepared to observe if Russia commits to it.
However, he pointed to past experience as a reason for caution. During an earlier U.S.-proposed pause that was intended to last one week, Zelenskyy said Russia violated the agreement after just four days.
“That experience makes trust very difficult,” he noted.
Negotiators in the latest talks also discussed how a ceasefire would be monitored, with the United States reaffirming its willingness to play an active role in verification and oversight mechanisms.
Nuclear Plant and Ceasefire Monitoring Disputes
One of the most contentious unresolved issues remains the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Zelenskyy said no consensus has been reached on how the facility should be managed or secured, underscoring the risks posed by ongoing military activity near critical nuclear infrastructure.
Despite intensified diplomacy, the gap between the two sides remains wide. While Washington appears eager to accelerate the process toward a defined endpoint, the realities on the ground — continued fighting, infrastructure damage, and deep mistrust — continue to complicate efforts to end the war.
As the June deadline approaches, the coming weeks are likely to test whether U.S. pressure and renewed talks can overcome entrenched positions, or whether the conflict will remain locked in a prolonged and destructive stalemate.
