Zelenskyy Talks to U.S. Envoys Amid Tensions With Trump Over Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with senior U.S. officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to lower tensions as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the Ukrainian leader does not want to end the war.

Escalating Attacks

Both nations targeted energy infrastructure as the conflict continued. Russian strikes left tens of thousands of people without power across multiple regions and killed three people, while Ukraine accused Moscow of breaking an energy ceasefire 76 times. In response, Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on Saint Petersburg, setting an oil refinery on fire, hitting a VKontakte data centre, and striking an Ozon logistics centre. Leningrad regional head Alexander Drozdenko reported that air defences shot down 144 drones in what state media called the largest drone assault on the city since the war began in 2022.

Political Friction

The talks followed sharp criticism from Mr. Trump, who wrote on Truth Social that Mr. Zelenskyy did not care about peace and was targeting Russian diesel refineries to hurt global and U.S. markets. Mr. Trump recently blocked new sanctions on Russia and agreed to a diesel deal with Moscow, while a Wall Street Journal report indicated Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a three-way meeting with Mr. Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping that would exclude Mr. Zelenskyy. Mr. Zelenskyy warned U.S. broadcaster NBC that Washington supporting Russia would be a historic mistake, though he expressed gratitude that the U.S. resumed intelligence sharing after a previous pause.

Context

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has heavily targeted energy grids and fuel supplies, creating severe humanitarian challenges ahead of winter. Diplomatic efforts by international partners continue to navigate shifting political alignments and security demands as the war enters its fifth year.