Zelenskyy seeks talks with Trump, EU leaders as Russian strikes intensify

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, 29 August, said officials in Kyiv are seeking meetings with US President Donald Trump and European leaders next week to discuss fresh efforts aimed at ending the three-year-old war with Russia.

The push for high-level talks comes amid intensifying Russian missile and drone strikes on civilian areas, which Zelenskyy said underscored Moscow’s unwillingness to engage constructively in peace efforts. “In my opinion, leaders must urgently be involved to reach agreements,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv.

At an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Friday, the United States urged Russia to move towards peace or face possible sanctions. The meeting followed a massive Russian assault between Wednesday night and Thursday morning that killed at least 23 people, including four children, and wounded more than 50 in Kyiv and surrounding regions.

John Kelley, Minister-Counsellor at the US mission to the UN, said the strikes “cast doubt on the seriousness of Russia’s desire for peace” and reiterated Washington’s warning that fresh sanctions could follow if Moscow continues with its offensive.

Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak met Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in New York on Friday to prepare for the proposed meetings. Yermak said their discussions focused on implementing commitments made during the Washington summit earlier this year. He added that Kyiv “supports President Trump’s firm resolve” to secure a lasting peace but lamented that Russia has so far blocked all meaningful progress.

Trump himself has expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of “talking nice and then bombing everybody.” He has warned that he will take a decision on next steps if direct peace talks are not arranged within weeks.

Moscow, however, has maintained its position that any potential summit between Putin and Zelenskyy must first be preceded by technical discussions at the expert level. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin “doesn’t rule out” a meeting but insisted that groundwork for such a dialogue was still incomplete.

Meanwhile, the scale of this week’s bombardment has left the Kyiv region in mourning.

Local authorities ordered flags at half-mast and cancelled public entertainment on Friday after more than 600 drones and over 30 missiles were launched in a single night, including rare strikes in the heart of the capital. Rescue teams pulled 17 survivors from the rubble, but several people remain missing.

Zelenskyy reiterated calls for stronger Western security guarantees, including continuous supplies of advanced air defence systems and secondary sanctions on countries trading with Russia. “Ukraine needs more sophisticated systems to protect its skies,” he said, adding that Europe should also contribute funds towards US weapons for Kyiv.

Diplomatic activity is expected to intensify in the coming weeks. Putin is scheduled to attend a meeting in China on Sunday alongside leaders from Iran and North Korea, both accused by the West of supporting Russia’s war effort. The conflict will also dominate discussions at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.

Analysts note that successive US administrations have been wary of direct escalation with Moscow. A recent assessment by the Atlantic Council said Putin likely doubts Washington’s willingness to reverse his gains in Ukraine, despite its military capacity to do so. It added that the Trump administration has repeatedly signalled that the US has no “vital interests” at stake in the war.

With PTI Inputs