US urges Russia and Ukraine to end war by June

Ukrainian  – (Web Desk) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the United States wants the war between Ukraine and Russia to end by June, revealing that both countries have been invited to peace talks in the US next week.

Speaking to reporters, Zelensky said Washington had proposed, for the first time, direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams on American soil, likely in Miami. Ukraine has confirmed it will take part. There has been no immediate response from either Washington or Moscow, though US President Donald Trump has been pushing for a swift end to the conflict since returning to office over a year ago.

Zelensky shared details of the second round of US-brokered peace talks held in Abu Dhabi, which concluded on Friday without any major breakthrough. He said core disagreements remain unresolved, particularly over territorial concessions that Ukraine is being pressured to consider.

He also noted that the sides discussed the possibility of a trilateral meeting between national leaders rather than just officials, but stressed that significant preparation would be required before such a summit could take place.

When asked about a timeline for an agreement, Zelensky said US officials had made it clear they hoped to wrap up the process by June. He suggested this urgency may be linked to domestic political factors in the US, including the November midterm elections.

Meanwhile, Russia has continued heavy attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, worsening power shortages during freezing weather. Ukraine’s energy minister, Denys Shmyhal, said substations, power lines, and power plants were hit in a large-scale assault, leading to major electricity deficits. Poland has been asked to provide emergency power supplies.

According to Zelensky, Russia launched more than 400 drones and 40 missiles in Friday night’s attack. While most were intercepted by Ukrainian air defences, several strikes caused further damage to the already strained power grid.

“The main targets were the energy grid, generation facilities, and distribution substations,” he said, adding that damage had been reported in at least four regions.

زیلنسکي:
امریکا، له اوکراین او روسیې نه تر راروان اوړي (جون میاشتې) پورې د سولې نهایي هوکړه غواړی. pic.twitter.com/ZFdr5H1Thz

— Saeed Shinwari (@Saeed_Shinwarai) February 7, 2026

In the western region of Lviv, the Dobrotvir power plant came under attack, leaving thousands of people without electricity, according to the regional head, Maksym Kozytskyi.

At least 6,000 people were without power as a result of hourly power outage schedules, he added.

The Burshtyn power plant was also struck in the nearby Ivano-Frankivsk region.

DTEK, which runs both the Dobrotvir and Burshtyn plants said it was the tenth “massive attack” on its power plants since October 2025.

“In total, DTEK thermal power plants have been attacked by the enemy more than 220 times since the beginning of the full-scale invasion,” the company added on Telegram. This was launched by Russia nearly four years ago.

One person was reported dead in the Rivne region and several were injured in Zaporizhzhia. Rivne’s head, Oleksandr Koval, said there was also damage to homes and “critical infrastructure”.

In Kyiv, residents once again took shelter in metro stations. Among them, Oksana Kykhtenko, told the Reuters news agency: “They [Russians] make us live in inhumane conditions. Without heating, without electricity.”

A drone strike in the city of Yahotyn, about 10km (62 miles) away, caused a fire at a warehouse complex, the Ukrainian emergency services said.

Ukraine has also attacked Russia, striking a factory that makes missile fuel components in the western Tver region, according to media reports quoting Ukrainian security officials.

Further south, in the Saratov region, an oil depot was also hit, Ukraine said.

Russia has not commented on any of the latest attacks.

Moscow renewed its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Monday after a pause US President Donald Trump had asked Vladimir Putin to observe due to the fierce cold in Ukraine. Trump said the pause lasted for a week until last Sunday but Kyiv disputed the timeline.

DTEK said the combined missile and drone strikes caused “the most powerful blow” to infrastructure so far this year.

“Moscow must be deprived of the ability to use the cold as leverage against Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote on X on Saturday, responding to the latest strikes.

Russia has also accused Kyiv of not being serious about securing a lasting peace. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday blamed Ukraine for the shooting of a high-profile general in Russia’s military, saying it was aimed at “disrupting the negotiation process”.

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It is not yet known who was behind the shooting.

Some 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Zelensky said earlier this week. The BBC has confirmed the names of almost 160,000 people killed fighting on Russia’s side in Ukraine.