Ukraine’s Zelensky says US wants deal to end Russia’s war by June

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says the US is proposing to finish all necessary negotiations to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in June.

“The Americans are proposing that the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer,” Zelensky told reporters in a briefing late on Friday.

“We understand that American internal issues have an impact and will certainly become even more relevant for them,” he said, suggesting US midterm elections in November would become the administration’s major focus.

Zelensky said that the next round of peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s four-year invasion may happen in about a week, amid another proposed energy truce. “The Ukrainian team has already accepted the invitation,” he said.

Washington has once again advised Ukraine and Russia to halt strikes on energy targets as a “de-escalation gesture”, which Ukraine has accepted, he said.

Hours after Zelensky’s comments, Russian forces unleashed another massive missile and drone barrage, targeting Ukraine’s power grid and leaving much of the nation’s west without electricity, heating or water.