Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Plans U.S. Trip For Talks With Trump Amid Continued Fighting (Worthy News Radio)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he plans to travel to the United States in the coming days for a key meeting with U.S. President Donald J. Trump, as Washington pushes for possible peace talks to end Russia’s nearly four-year-long war against Ukraine.

Sources familiar with the matter said the talks could happen as early as Sunday and focus on potential paths toward ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.

Zelenskyy has stressed that any discussion of sensitive issues, including possible territorial compromises, must take place at the level of heads of state.

The Ukrainian leader said he was encouraged by recent contacts with U.S. officials, including talks with presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

“Today we also spoke for nearly an hour with representatives of the President of the United States of America,” Zelenskyy said. “We spoke with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and it was truly a good conversation.”

CIVILIANS SUFFER AS ATTACKS CONTINUE

The diplomatic efforts come as Ukrainian civilians continue to suffer from Russian attacks.

Millions of Ukrainians spent Christmas without electricity after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure killed civilians and triggered widespread power outages, officials said.

Ukrainian authorities explained that at least four people were killed and more than a dozen injured in attacks across several regions, including Kherson, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa.

For Kyiv resident Andrii Stets the Christmas season was overshadowed by an apparent Russian attack that also damaged his apartment building.

“My morning started in the shelter,” Stets recalled. “When I got on the bus, I saw a Shahed drone flying above my head. It passed over me, then I heard a loud crack — and it detonated. We have three children, including a three-month-old baby. I don’t know what to do next.”

UKRAINE STRIKES INSIDE RUSSIA

Ukrainian officials said Kyiv responded by striking targets deep inside Russia.

British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles were used to hit the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, officials said.

Ukrainian long-range drones also reportedly set oil product tanks ablaze at the Russian port of Temryuk and struck a major gas processing plant in Orenburg Oblast, hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Kyiv says the strikes are aimed at reducing Moscow’s ability to finance its war through energy exports.

FIGHTING FAR FROM OVER

Ukraine’s military also reported a surprise takeover of a town near the front lines, dealing a setback to Russian forces despite harsh winter conditions.

Officials said the move demonstrated Kyiv’s ability to carry out sudden counter-operations.

Despite diplomatic efforts, the continued clashes underscore concerns that the war — which analysts estimate has killed or wounded more than one million people — remains far from over.

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