Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a tripartite summit involving himself, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin, in a bid to compel Moscow to cease its three-year-long incursion.
Despite Zelenskyy's previous attempts to arrange a meeting with Putin in Turkey, the Russian President declined, with the Kremlin stating that a meeting would only be possible after an "agreement" has been reached.
President Trump has expressed his dissatisfaction with both Putin and Zelenskyy for their failure to negotiate a peace agreement.
The conflict has escalated in recent weeks, with both sides launching substantial aerial attacks. Moscow's defense ministry reported that Ukraine had launched nearly 300 drones at Russia overnight. "If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don't mind. I am ready for any format," Zelenskyy stated in a press briefing on Tuesday, as reported by Newsmax Media.
Zelenskyy expressed his readiness for a "Trump-Putin-me" meeting and urged the U.S. to impose stringent sanctions on Russia's banking and energy sectors. "We are waiting for sanctions from the United States of America," Zelenskyy said. "Trump confirmed that if Russia does not stop, sanctions will be imposed. We discussed two main aspects with him energy and the banking system. Will the U.S. be able to impose sanctions on these two sectors? I would very much like that."
Zelenskyy had previously shown signs of frustration towards Washington for not announcing new sanctions on Moscow after Russia dismissed a joint Western call for an immediate ceasefire. Over the weekend, Trump labeled Putin "crazy" following a massive Russian attack that claimed at least 13 lives across Ukraine. Trump continued his criticism of Putin on Tuesday, stating on his Truth Social network, "What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire!"
Despite months of diplomacy led by the U.S., the warring parties seem no closer to reaching a peace agreement. The war, which began with Russia's invasion in February 2022, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, widespread destruction in eastern and southern Ukraine, and Russia's control of approximately one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, including the annexed Crimean peninsula.
In the wake of Zelenskyy's comments, Ukraine launched one of its largest ever drone attacks on Russia, causing minimal damage according to Russian officials. Russia's three major international airports were forced to suspend flights for several hours due to the attack. Ukraine reported that Russia had launched over 900 drones in the three days leading up to Monday, resulting in the deaths of 13 civilians, including three children.
On the front lines, Zelenskyy reported that Russia was gathering more than 50,000 troops around the northeastern Sumy border region. Moscow's army has captured several settlements in its bid to establish what Putin has termed a "buffer zone" within Ukrainian territory. Zelenskyy also revealed that Ukraine is yet to receive a promised "memorandum" from Russia outlining its conditions for a peace deal.
Ukraine has accused Russia of prolonging the peace process following the first direct talks in over three years between negotiators from both sides earlier this month in Istanbul. Zelenskyy is scheduled to visit Germany on Wednesday for discussions with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has promised robust support for Kyiv in its struggle against Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced on Wednesday that details of a second round of negotiations would be released soon.
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