Zelenskyy meets US envoys as Trump accuses Kyiv of prolonging war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with senior US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Sunday, seeking to ease tensions as US President Donald Trump accused him of not wanting to end the war with Russia. The talks came as Moscow and Kyiv exchanged attacks on energy sites, with Russian strikes leaving thousands without power and Ukraine carrying out what Moscow said was its largest drone attack on Saint Petersburg since the war began in 2022.
Trump, writing on Truth Social, said he was negotiating peace and making “great progress,” but added: “Zelenskyy doesn't care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him... he doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did.” He also said Zelenskyy was targeting diesel refineries in Russia “knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States.”
Zelenskyy said after the meeting that “a lot depends” on the US position and that “it is clear that there are many things that matter to all of us and that this war must be brought to an end.” He said Ukraine was ready to work “constructively” and “honestly” and expected the same approach from European and American partners. He said the talks covered deliveries of US Patriot air defence systems, which Kyiv needs to counter Russian missiles.
The Ukrainian leader earlier told NBC it would be a “historic mistake” if Washington formally supported Russia, and said he hoped Trump would “change his decisions.” He also said he was “thankful” that the US had resumed intelligence sharing after a pause that left Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian missile strikes.
The conversation took place amid signs of strain between Kyiv and Washington. Trump has blocked new sanctions on Russia and struck a diesel deal with Moscow, moves that have fuelled fears in Kyiv and Europe that the White House was steering towards Moscow. A Wall Street Journal report that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a meeting on Ukraine with Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping — but not Zelenskyy — has raised further concerns.
A US-led push to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II has so far not produced a breakthrough. Trump has in the past expressed frustration with both Zelenskyy and Putin over a lack of progress.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of breaking Trump’s “energy ceasefire” 76 times and warned that Moscow planned to deprive Ukrainians of heat and electricity before winter. Russian strikes left “tens of thousands” without power in several regions, he said, while Ukrainian officials reported three people killed.
Ukraine’s army launched drones at Saint Petersburg late on Sunday, setting an oil refinery ablaze and killing one person, Moscow said. Russia’s VKontakte social network said its data centre was hit, and Ozon, Russia’s second-largest retailer, reported a strike on its logistics centre. Alexander Drozdenko, head of the wider Leningrad region, said air defence shot down 144 Ukrainian drones. State media said it was the largest attack on the city since the start of the war.
The Kremlin said Ukrainian attacks on its cities would not change its war aims. Putin has repeatedly said Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine. The war is now in its fifth year.
“There’s a general feeling: they’re attacking, we’re attacking — it’s become the dreadful routine of war,” Galina, 58, told AFP in Saint Petersburg.
