Ukrainian city hit by massive strike as peace talks in US conclude

Russia continued its aerial attacks on Ukraine overnight, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a “very constructive” phone call with Donald Trump’s negotiating team following three days of talks in Florida.

The mayor of Kremenchuk, a major industrial hub in central Ukraine, said the city had been repeatedly struck in a “massive” attack. No deaths have been confirmed so far.

Meanwhile, Russia said it had shot down 77 Ukrainian drones in several locations.

Aerial assaults have continued even as efforts to negotiate an end to the war have intensified, including detailed Ukraine-US talks in Miami aimed at drafting a peace settlement acceptable to both sides.

On Saturday, Zelensky said he was “determined” to continue working with the US after speaking to Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at the conclusion of those negotiations.

Zelensky said they had discussed how to ensure that Russia stuck to any potential deal to end the war.

Hours later, Vitaliy Maletsk, the mayor of Kremenchuk, said his city had sustained a “massive combined strike” on its infrastructure. The extent of the damage was unclear as of Sunday morning but the mayor said water, electricity and heat had been cut off for some.

The city, which is roughly halfway between Kyiv and the frontline in the east, has been repeatedly targeted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The White House has pushed both Kyiv and Moscow to agree to a multi-point plan to end the war but there has been little sign of a breakthrough, despite both sides engaging with the US-led process.

“Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace,” Zelensky said on X.

“We covered many aspects and went through key points that could ensure an end to the bloodshed and eliminate the threat of a new Russian full scale invasion.”

The Russian strikes in the early hours of Sunday followed a wider attack 24 hours earlier, which drew condemnation from Kyiv’s European allies.

In a social media post, French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken to Zelensky and offered his “full solidarity”.

“France is determined to work with all partners to secure de-escalation measures and to impose a ceasefire,” Macron added.

Macron, Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are due to hold in-person talks in London on Monday.

Europe has pushed back against early versions of the US-led peace plan and has sought to win support from the White House for its own proposals, including comprehensive security guarantees for a post-war Ukraine, including the possibility of a peacekeeping force.

Sir Keir has led the push for a so-called coalition of the willing, a loose collection of Ukrainian allies who are committed to continuing to underwrite Kyiv’s defence in the event of a ceasefire to deter a second invasion. He has called that proposal “vital” for Ukraine’s long-term security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected the idea of such a force saying any troops deployed to Ukraine would be “legitimate targets”.

Also on Saturday, US and Ukrainian negotiators urged Russia to show a “serious commitment to long-term peace”.

The joint statement was issued days after Witkoff returned from talks with Putin at the Kremlin which failed to produce a breakthrough.

Witkoff and Rustem Umerov, newly installed as Zelensky’s most senior negotiator, said they had “agreed on the framework of security arrangements” and “discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace”.