Ukraine, U.S. Enter Third Day of Intensive Peace Talks as Russia Launches Massive Overnight Assault

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a “long and substantive” phone call on Saturday with senior U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as American and Ukrainian teams entered a third day of intensive talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year war with Russia.

In a statement posted to his official X account, Zelenskyy said the discussion — which also included Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and military commander Andrii Hnatov — focused on measures “that could ensure an end to the bloodshed and eliminate the threat of a new Russian full-scale invasion.”

Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for what he called a “very focused, constructive discussion” and emphasized Ukraine’s readiness to “keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace.”

He thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for “such an intensive approach to negotiations,” adding that Kyiv and Washington had agreed on next steps and formats for further talks.

The Ukrainian leader said he is awaiting an in-person briefing from Umerov and Hnatov, noting that “not everything can be discussed over the phone” and stressing that every proposal must be “workable” for peace, security, and reconstruction.

Russia launches massive overnight barrage

Zelenskyy’s remarks came as Russia launched one of its largest aerial attacks in months, firing 653 drones and 51 missiles across Ukraine overnight into Saturday, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

The attacks coincided with Ukraine’s Armed Forces Day and triggered nationwide air raid alerts.

Ukrainian defenses intercepted 585 drones and 30 missiles, but at least 29 locations were hit. Eight people were wounded, including at least three in the Kyiv region, officials said. Drone sightings were reported as far west as Lviv.

Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, said Russia targeted power stations and other critical infrastructure in multiple regions, describing the assault as a “massive missile-drone attack.”

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — under Russian control since early in the invasion — temporarily lost all off-site power, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported. Though the facility is not operational, it requires stable electricity to cool its reactors and spent fuel.

Zelenskyy said energy infrastructure was the primary target and noted that a drone strike had destroyed the train station in Fastiv, near Kyiv.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses shot down 116 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory. A Ukrainian strike reportedly hit the Ryazan Oil Refinery, a key target in Kyiv’s long-range drone campaign aimed at disrupting Russian oil revenue.

Regional officials confirmed damage from drone debris but did not mention the refinery directly.

Talks advance, but hinge on Russia’s commitment

The barrage unfolded as Trump’s envoys and Ukrainian negotiators met for a third day in Florida to advance a U.S.-mediated peace proposal. Both sides said Friday’s discussions produced “progress on finding agreement on a security framework for postwar Ukraine,” but warned that meaningful breakthroughs depend on Russia’s willingness to “show serious commitment to long-term peace.”

The joint statement by Witkoff, Kushner, Umerov, and Hnatov described their negotiations as constructive but offered few specifics. Zelenskyy said he had been updated by phone on the talks.

The U.S.-led diplomatic push comes as Washington and its European allies attempt to shape a security architecture that would prevent renewed Russian aggression while providing Ukraine with credible long-term guarantees.

Meanwhile, British officials said the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are set to meet Zelenskyy in London on Monday — a sign of intensified Western coordination as winter fighting and peace efforts advance in parallel.