Russia continued its overnight barrage on Ukraine early Sunday, striking the central industrial city of Kremenchuk only hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky described his discussions with Donald Trump’s negotiating team as “very constructive.”
In an interview posted online, Kremenchuk Mayor Vitaliy Maletsky said the city had come under a “massive combined strike,” repeatedly hitting key infrastructure and leaving sections of the population without water, heat, and electricity. No casualties had been confirmed as of Sunday morning.
The escalation unfolded despite renewed diplomatic efforts between Kyiv and Washington. Zelensky said he held a productive call with Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, following three days of peace negotiations in Miami aimed at mapping out a framework acceptable to both Russia and Ukraine.
“Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace,” Zelensky said on X, adding that discussions focused on ways to ensure Russia complied with any eventual agreement.
Russia, meanwhile, claimed it had intercepted 77 Ukrainian drones across several regions overnight, following another large-scale attack 24 hours earlier that drew condemnation from Kyiv’s European allies.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke with Zelensky and expressed “full solidarity,” adding that France would continue pushing for de-escalation and a ceasefire. Macron, Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to meet in London on Monday for in-person consultations.
European governments have pushed for revisions to the US-led peace outline, advocating tougher security guarantees for Ukraine after the war including the possibility of a multinational peacekeeping force. Starmer has championed what he calls a “coalition of the willing,” a group of committed allies who would backstop Ukraine’s defence to deter a future Russian invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has firmly rejected the idea, warning that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets.”
On Saturday, US and Ukrainian negotiators called on Moscow to demonstrate a “serious commitment to long-term peace.” The joint statement followed Witkoff’s return from a round of talks in Moscow that yielded no breakthrough. Ukraine’s newly appointed chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said both sides had “agreed on the framework of security arrangements” and explored what deterrence measures would be necessary to secure a durable settlement.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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