Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia could intensify its aerial attacks on Kyiv in the wake of high-stakes talks between President Trump and Vladimir Putin — as the strongman seeks to gain leverage at the negotiating table.
The warning comes a day after the bilateral summit in Alaska, which failed to yield a cease-fire, and with news of Zelensky’s planned trip to Washington, DC on Monday to meet with Trump.
“Based on the political and diplomatic situation around Ukraine, and knowing Russia’s treachery, we anticipate that in the coming days the Russian army may try to increase pressure and strikes against Ukrainian positions in order to create more favorable political circumstances for talks with global actors,” Zelensky wrote on X Saturday.
This comes as the Ukrainian military said that Russian troops have occupied two additional villages Saturday in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Donetsk, one of the partly Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, has become a key battleground in recent months.
Putin reportedly told US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff last week that he’d be willing to end his nearly three-year-old invasion of Ukraine in exchange for Donetsk and doubled down this week, saying he wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the region it controls as part of any cease-fire deal.
Zelensky said fighting in Donetsk remains “extremely difficult” but that his forces have made some successful counterattacks.
“We are defending our positions along the entire front line, and for the second day in a row, we have achieved successes in some extremely difficult areas in the Donetsk region,” Zelensky wrote.
Hours before the Alaska summit, Russian air strikes killed at least six Ukrainian civilians and injured at least 17, including a child, local authorities reported — as Moscow launched close to 100 drones and two missiles.
“On the day of negotiations, the Russians are killing as well. And that speaks volumes,” Zelensky posted on Friday.
“The war continues…It continues exactly because there is no order, nor any signals that Moscow is preparing to end this war.”
Zelensky announced his scheduled White House visit after he spoke on the phone for nearly two hours with Trump, who was on board Air Force One while heading back from Anchorage.
