On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, would be “the most effective way to make progress” in efforts to end the ongoing conflict, as hopes for recent peace initiatives continue to wane.
During Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrations, Kyiv launched a series of drone strikes against Russia, igniting a fire at a nuclear power plant.
Following extensive diplomatic efforts and pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to facilitate a summit between the two leaders, the prospect of peace appeared bleak on Friday when Russia dismissed any possibility of an imminent meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
However, Zelensky affirmed on Sunday that “discussions between the presidents are the most effective means of achieving progress,” reiterating his call for a bilateral summit with Putin.
During the Independence Day festivities attended by U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg and other Western officials, Zelensky stated, “Together, we Ukrainians and our partners are working to push Russia towards peace. This is possible.”
The U.S. envoy presented the Ukrainian Order of Merit during the ceremony.
In Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Western nations of attempting to “disrupt” negotiations, criticizing Zelensky’s stance of being “stubborn and imposing conditions while demanding an immediate meeting with Putin at any cost.”
Lavrov had previously mentioned on Friday that there is “no meeting” planned between Putin and Zelensky.
– Regaining Villages –
The conflict, which has persisted for over three and a half years and resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, appears to have reached a near standstill, even as Russia recently made slow advancements, seizing two villages in the Donetsk region on Saturday.
Conversely, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskiy reported on Sunday that his troops had reclaimed three villages in Donetsk.
Syrskiy announced on social media: “Our forces successfully launched a counterattack and expelled the enemy from the villages of Mikhailivka, Zeleni Hay, and Volodymyrivka in the Donetsk area.”
On Sunday, Ukraine also targeted Russian territories with drone strikes, one of which was downed over a nuclear power plant in Kursk, western Russia, resulting in an explosion and subsequent fire, according to the facility.
The plant’s management reported that the fire was extinguished and confirmed there were no injuries or increases in radiation levels.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has frequently warned about the dangers of military actions near nuclear power plants since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.