Russia launched new overnight aerial attacks on Ukraine just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky reported a “very constructive” conversation with members of Donald Trump’s negotiating team, following three days of intensive peace talks in Florida.
Mayor Vitaliy Maletsky of Kremenchuk — a key industrial centre in central Ukraine — said the city had come under a “massive, combined strike” that repeatedly targeted critical infrastructure. While no fatalities have been confirmed, parts of Kremenchuk were left without water, electricity, and heat. The full extent of the damage remained unclear on Sunday morning. The city, positioned midway between Kyiv and the eastern frontline, has been a frequent target since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Russia also claimed to have intercepted 77 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight.
The renewed attacks underscored the fragility of the moment, coming as diplomatic efforts appear to accelerate. Detailed Ukraine–US discussions in Miami focused on shaping a potential peace framework acceptable to both Kyiv and Moscow.
On Saturday, Zelensky said he was “determined” to continue close cooperation with Washington after speaking with Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The talks focused heavily on how to ensure Russia abides by any eventual agreement to end the conflict.
“The key points we covered could bring an end to the bloodshed and prevent another large-scale Russian invasion,” Zelensky wrote on X.
The strike on Kremenchuk followed a broader wave of Russian attacks a day earlier, prompting condemnation from European leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken to Zelensky and offered France’s “full solidarity,” adding that Paris would continue working with international partners to secure de-escalation measures and push for a ceasefire.
Macron, Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to meet in London on Monday for further discussions.
European governments have expressed concerns about earlier drafts of the US-led peace proposal and are lobbying Washington to back their own security plan, which includes robust guarantees for post-war Ukraine and even the possibility of a peacekeeping force. Sir Keir has championed a “coalition of the willing” — a group of Kyiv’s allies prepared to uphold Ukrainian security during any ceasefire, calling the approach “vital” to preventing another Russian attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected the idea outright, warning that any foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine would be treated as “legitimate targets.”
In a joint statement on Saturday, US and Ukrainian negotiators urged Moscow to demonstrate “a serious commitment to long-term peace.” The appeal came shortly after Witkoff returned from Kremlin talks with Putin that ended without tangible progress.
Witkoff and Ukraine’s newly appointed chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said they had reached broad agreement on a framework for security arrangements and discussed the deterrence measures required to secure a lasting peace.
