A major Ukrainian industrial city was hit by a “massive” Russian strike overnight, just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky described discussions with US negotiators as “very constructive”
following three days of peace talks in Florida.
Early on Sunday, the mayor of Kremenchuk, in central Ukraine’s Poltava region, said the city had been repeatedly struck in a large-scale combined attack on critical infrastructure. While no deaths have been officially confirmed, local authorities reported disruptions to water, electricity and heating supplies.
Emergency crews were deployed to battle fires across the region as Russia continued aerial bombardments despite intensified diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed it had intercepted and destroyed 77 Ukrainian drones across several regions overnight.
The latest attacks come as Kyiv and Washington seek to advance a US-led peace initiative. On Saturday, Zelensky said he remained “determined” to work with the United States after speaking with Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the former president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at the conclusion of negotiations in Miami.
Zelensky said discussions focused on ensuring Russia’s compliance with any future peace agreement.
Kremenchuk, located roughly halfway between Kyiv and the eastern front line, has been repeatedly targeted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Despite diplomatic momentum, there has been little sign of a breakthrough. The White House is pressing both Kyiv and Moscow to accept a multi-point settlement plan.
“Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace,” Zelensky wrote on X. “We discussed key points that could end the bloodshed and prevent another full-scale Russian invasion.”
The overnight strikes followed a wider Russian attack the previous day, which drew strong condemnation from European leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken with Zelensky and reaffirmed France’s “full solidarity,” adding that Paris would continue to push for de-escalation and a ceasefire.
Macron, Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are due to meet in London on Monday for further talks.
European leaders have resisted early versions of the US-led peace plan and are pressing for stronger security guarantees for Ukraine, including the possible deployment of a peacekeeping force.
Sir Keir has championed the creation of a “coalition of the willing” — a group of allied nations committed to supporting Ukraine’s defence in the event of a ceasefire. He has described the proposal as vital to Ukraine’s long-term security.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected the idea, warning that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets.”
On Saturday, US and Ukrainian negotiators urged Moscow to demonstrate a “serious commitment to long-term peace.” The statement came days after Witkoff returned from talks with Putin in Moscow that failed to yield a breakthrough.
Witkoff and Ukraine’s newly appointed chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said they had agreed on a security framework and discussed deterrence measures aimed at sustaining a future peace. Photo by Dsns.gov.ua, Wikimedia commons.