U.S SETS JUNE DEADLINE FOR UKRAINE AND RUSSIA TO REACH WAR AGREEMENT, ZELENSKYY SAYS. (PHOTO).

 

U.S sets June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to reach war agreement, Zelenskyy says

 The United States has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to reach an agreement to end the nearly four-year war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russia continued heavy strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure that forced nuclear power plants to reduce output. Zelenskyy said the Trump administration expects progress by early summer and is prepared to increase pressure on both sides if the timeline is not met. He said U.S. officials want a clearly defined schedule for negotiations and next steps, emphasizing that Washington intends to push hard for an end to the conflict within that window. Zelenskyy also confirmed that the U.S. has proposed holding the next round of trilateral talks as early as next week, potentially in Miami, marking the first time such discussions would take place on American soil, and said Ukraine has agreed to participate. He added that Russia has presented the U.S. with what he described as a $12 trillion economic proposal, dubbed the “Dmitriev package,” involving potential bilateral economic arrangements that Moscow sees as part of the broader negotiations.

At the same time, fighting on the ground showed little sign of easing. Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles overnight, targeting Ukraine’s energy grid, power generation facilities, and distribution networks. The attacks forced nuclear power plants in Ukrainian-controlled territory to cut output after key high-voltage substations were hit, significantly worsening the country’s power deficit and leading to extended rolling blackouts nationwide. Zelenskyy said recent U.S.-brokered talks failed to produce a breakthrough, with Russia continuing to demand that Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas, a condition Kyiv has repeatedly rejected. He said no agreement was reached on the future management of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and voiced skepticism about a proposal to turn the Donbas into a free economic zone as a compromise. Zelenskyy said negotiators have discussed how a ceasefire could be technically monitored, with the U.S. reaffirming it would take part in that process, and added that Ukraine remains open to a pause on strikes against energy infrastructure if Russia honors it, noting that a previous short-lived pause collapsed after only a few days.