US wants Ukraine-Russia peace deal by June, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the US wants a peace settlement between Ukraine and Russia by early summer, despite repeated rounds of talks failing to reach a breakthrough over the issues of territory and security guarantees.

“They say they want to get everything done by June,” Zelenskyy said in comments published Saturday by the Presidency.

“And they will do everything to end the war. They want a clear schedule of events.”

“If the Russians are really ready to end the war, then it is really important to set a deadline,” he added.

Zelenskyy said that Washington had proposed that Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet in the United States, likely in Miami, in a week’s time.

“We have confirmed our participation," Zelenskyy said.

ITV News' US partner CNN has sought comment from the US government on Zelenskyy’s remarks.

Zelenskyy’s remarks came as Russia carried out another large-scale attack on Ukraine’s power infrastructure, with several regions targeted by hundreds of drones and missiles overnight.

The overnight attacks follow a recent lull in strikes on energy infrastructure by both sides, which was proposed by the US.

Zelenskyy said Washington had proposed “that both sides once again support the US President’s energy de-escalation initiative. Ukraine has agreed, but Russia has not yet responded.”

The latest deadline follows US-brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi in January that produced no breakthrough.

Giving an insight to what happened at the last round of talks, Zelenskyy said: “Difficult issues remained difficult. Ukraine once again confirmed its positions on the Donbas issue.

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"‘We stand where we stand’ is the fairest and most reliable model for a ceasefire today, in our opinion,” Zelenskyy said.

He reiterated that the most challenging topics would be reserved for a trilateral meeting between leaders.

Zelenskyy said no common ground was reached on managing the Russian‑held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and expressed skepticism about a US proposal to turn the Donbas region, coveted by Russia, into a free economic zone as a compromise.

“I do not know whether this can be implemented, because when we talked about a free economic zone, we had different views on it,” he said.

He said in the last round of talks the negotiators discussed how a ceasefire would be technically monitored. He added that the US has reaffirmed it would play a role in that process.

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