Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Friday that a high-level meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to occur “in the near future,” marking a significant development in diplomatic efforts to resolve the protracted Russo-Ukrainian conflict. The declaration came via Zelenskyy’s social media platform X, where he emphasized the urgency of negotiations by stating “We are not losing a single day” and suggesting substantial progress could be achieved before year’s end.
This diplomatic breakthrough follows Zelenskyy’s Thursday discussions with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential advisor Jared Kushner, which he characterized as a “good conversation.” The Trump administration has intensified its diplomatic offensive to mediate the nearly four-year war, though negotiations confront fundamentally incompatible positions between Moscow and Kyiv.
In a notable concession, Zelenskyy indicated Tuesday his willingness to withdraw Ukrainian forces from the eastern Donbas region—provided Russia reciprocates with troop withdrawals and establishes an internationally monitored demilitarized zone. However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova offered tempered optimism, acknowledging “slow but steady progress” while maintaining Moscow’s uncompromising stance on retaining captured territories.
Meanwhile, military operations persist on both sides. Russian drone strikes targeted Mykolaiv and surrounding areas overnight, causing partial power outages. Ukraine retaliated with precision strikes using British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles against the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region, with Ukraine’s General Staff confirming “multiple explosions” and successful target engagement. Regional governor Yuri Slyusar reported one firefighter wounded during subsequent firefighting operations.
The strategic exchange reflects competing wartime objectives: Ukraine seeks to disrupt Russia’s oil export revenue financing its invasion, while Russia continues targeting civilian infrastructure to compromise Ukraine’s energy grid during winter months—a tactic Kyiv officials condemn as weaponizing seasonal conditions against civilian populations.