Volodymyr Zelensky had a “constructive” phone call about bringing an “end to the bloodshed” with US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the Ukrainian president said Saturday.
The US reps were in Miami meeting with a delegation from Kyiv for a third straight day of peace talks.
“We covered many aspects and went through key points that could ensure an end to the bloodshed and eliminate the threat of a new Russian full scale invasion, as well as the risk of Russia failing to honour its promises, as has happened repeatedly in the past,” Zelensky wrote on X following the call.
Flames burn through the remnants of a warehouse destroyed by a Russian airstrike in Novi Petrivtski, Ukraine, on Dec. 6, 2025. REUTERS“We agreed on the next steps and formats for talks with the United States.”
Kyiv’s national security adviser Rustem Umerov and Andrii Hnatov, chief of staff of the country’s Armed Forces, are expected to brief Zelensky in person upon their return to Ukraine, the Ukrainian president said.
The negotiations came as Russia rained down a major missile and drone barrage overnight into Saturday, inflicting severe damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Moscow fired 653 drones and 51 missiles in the far-reaching attack, which triggered air raid alerts across the battered country, Ukraine’s air force said.
A firefighter battles a blaze at the site of a Russian airstrike in the Kyiv region. STATE EMERGENSY SERVICE OF UKRAINE/AFP via Getty Images
Fire and smoke rise behind apartment buildings near Kyiv after an overnight strike. STATE EMERGENSY SERVICE OF UKRAINE/AFP via Getty ImagesAt least eight people were wounded, including three in the Kyiv region, according to local officials.
The strikes damaged electricity substations, generation facilities and even disconnected one of the two power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which temporarily lost all off-site power overnight — the 11th time it has been shuttered since the start of the Moscow’s invasion.
The head of Ukraine’s state grid operator called the attack “quite severe,” the Kyiv Independent reported.
Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, speaks during the America Business Forum at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, U.S. November 6, 2025. REUTERS
People sift through the debris of a home struck by a Russian missile on Dec. 6, 2025. REUTERS“A meaningless strike from a military point of view,” slammed Zelensky on Telegram. “The main targets of these strikes are once again energy infrastructure.
“The goal of the Russians is to hurt millions of Ukrainians, and they have already fallen so low that they launch missiles at peaceful cities on St. Nicholas Day.”
Poland had to scramble fighter jets to protect its airspace during the hours-long attack on western Ukraine, the country’s air force announced on X.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to press before his meeting with President of Cyprus in Kyiv on December 4, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP via Getty Images
Firefighters extinguish a fire inside a building damaged and left charred by the overnight air attack. REUTERSA marathon round of talks earlier in the week in Moscow between Putin, Witkoff and Kushner ended with the Kremlin calling parts of the latest peace proposal “unacceptable.”
Following the talks in Miami, which began on Thursday, the US tried to offer a sober assessment of the progress made so far in trying to strike a peace agreement with Moscow.
“Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings,” wrote Witkoff in a statement Friday.
