Zelenskyy says fresh Russian strikes show 'no change' in Kremlin position

Russian strikes on Kyiv with ballistic missiles and Ukraine launching hundreds of drones towards Moscow overnight, despite a recent US effort to end the conflict, suggest that the Kremlin's stance on the war remains unchanged, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Kremlin had previously expressed willingness to resume trilateral talks with Kyiv and Washington the following month.

Russia launched missiles at Ukraine shortly after meetings between US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy stated that the attacks proved there had been no real change in the Kremlin's attitude towards the situation. Ukraine reported that the strikes resulted in at least two deaths and 34 injuries, with damage to residential houses, energy sites, a shopping mall, and a monastery in Kyiv.

The president emphasized that the strikes began almost immediately after Witkoff's talks with Putin in Saint Petersburg. Russia claimed to have downed 808 Ukrainian drones fired overnight, with casualties reported in Moscow as well. Witkoff faced criticism for calling Putin a "humanitarian" following Moscow's release of an elderly US citizen accused of fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary.

President Trump sought to maintain an optimistic tone, stating that negotiators were "maybe now the closest we've been" to ending the war. However, in Kyiv and European capitals, hopes for a breakthrough were low, with many concerned that the White House was aligning with Moscow. Zelenskyy called for allies to maintain pressure on Moscow and for more air defense supplies.

The conflict began in February 2022 with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has since become Europe's largest conflict since World War II, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions displaced. Zelenskyy met with Witkoff in Norway before the US-Russia talks, where tensions between Washington and Kyiv had escalated.

Recently, the US has blocked new sanctions on Russia, struck a deal to buy Russian diesel, and called for a replacement for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy has supported resuming trilateral talks, which have failed to make progress in the past 18 months. Russia demands that Ukraine withdraw from eastern Donetsk territory it still controls and imposes strict political and military restrictions on Ukraine's army and Western alliances.

Ukraine rejects these demands as tantamount to capitulation, fearing it would leave the country vulnerable to further attacks. The Kremlin suggested that Witkoff briefed Putin on new aspects of European and Kyiv's approaches from the Oslo meeting, but claimed there was little substance to them. Additionally, Moscow announced plans for a summit between Trump, Putin, and China's Xi in China next month, causing concern among Europeans and Ukraine over the potential for a deal to be brokered behind their backs.