On Wednesday, Russia launched a widespread assault across Ukraine, targeting power plants, a kindergarten, and other locations, which tragically resulted in six deaths. This devastating offensive occurred just hours after President Trump announced the postponement of a scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, aiming to avoid a ‘wasted’ attempt at de-escalating the conflict.
Late last week, Mr. Trump had indicated his intention to meet with Mr. Putin in Hungary for peace discussions. However, following recent talks between American and Russian officials, the White House confirmed on Tuesday that a summit would not take place ‘in the immediate future.’
The Trump administration’s decision to delay the meeting came after Russian officials reiterated their unwavering, aggressive demands for halting the invasion of Ukraine. They once again dismissed a proposed ceasefire that would maintain the current battle lines.
Harrowing video footage, shared by officials on social media, depicted emergency workers rescuing toddlers from a blazing kindergarten in Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine. This attack on the kindergarten resulted in one fatality and several injuries. The image accompanying this report captures the aftermath: a damaged kindergarten building in Kharkiv, bearing the scars of Russia’s assault.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that these overnight attacks demonstrate Russia’s apparent lack of sufficient pressure to cease hostilities and prolong the war.
The widespread Russian shelling led to nationwide power rationing for industries and urgent blackouts affecting civilians in numerous areas, including Kyiv, the capital. These strikes align with a familiar pattern: Russia often launches major attacks on Ukraine following key diplomatic junctures with the Trump administration. Adding to the tension, the Kremlin confirmed that Russia also conducted nuclear weapons drills on Wednesday, including test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles. One striking image from this period shows an individual using a flashlight outside a residential building in Chernihiv, Ukraine, during a power outage on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Mr. Zelensky re-emphasized Ukraine’s urgent need for additional long-range weaponry to exert pressure on Moscow to halt its invasion. Despite meeting with Mr. Trump at the White House last Friday for what were described as contentious discussions, the Ukrainian leader was unable to secure a deal for American long-range missiles.
Despite publicly endorsing Mr. Trump’s peace initiatives, Ukrainian officials have consistently maintained that Moscow will only cease its aggression if Kyiv possesses adequate retaliatory capabilities.
Analysts in Ukraine expressed optimism that Mr. Trump might finally be discerning Mr. Putin’s strategy: engaging in high-profile meetings that yield minimal substantive results, essentially leading the Americans on. Notably, Russian officials had initially welcomed the idea of a summit in Budapest after Mr. Trump’s phone call with Mr. Putin on Thursday, just a day prior to his meeting with Mr. Zelensky.
Mykhailo Samus, director of the independent New Geopolitics Research Network in Kyiv, remarked, ‘Trump realized that this meeting would be a catastrophe, and he would gain nothing but shame.’ He further pondered, ‘But the question is, what is next? Will Putin be able to get him to such a meeting again?’
Mr. Samus emphasized, ‘It is important for President Trump to understand that a Nobel Peace Prize is possible only by pressuring Putin, not by shouting at Zelensky.’
Throughout these events, Mr. Trump has consistently displayed a notable deference towards Mr. Putin. The American president has refrained from acting on his threats to impose consequences on Russia for its continued refusal to end the war. Furthermore, despite warnings from the Kremlin, he has yet to supply Kyiv with American Tomahawk missiles.
However, appearing invigorated by his successful mediation of a Gaza cease-fire and consistently driven by his public ambition for a Nobel Prize, Mr. Trump has renewed efforts to revive a Ukrainian peace process that faltered after his summer meeting with Mr. Putin in Alaska.
Although President Zelensky’s discussions with Mr. Trump last week concluded without new weaponry for Ukraine, he successfully maintained U.S. support for Kyiv’s territorial stance. Moscow has made it clear it expects Ukraine to relinquish control of remaining eastern Donetsk regions—a demand unequivocally rejected by Kyiv. A photograph from last week shows President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky seated in the White House cabinet room, engaged in their talks.
Mr. Zelensky is scheduled to meet with European leaders in Denmark on Thursday, seeking further aid from European nations. These countries have emerged as Kyiv’s principal supporters in the war effort, particularly since Mr. Trump ceased direct American assistance. European leaders, alongside Ukraine, advocate for an immediate ceasefire along the existing battle lines.
According to Mr. Samus, Russia’s primary objective in negotiations since early spring has been two-fold: to postpone any ceasefire and to prevent the United States from supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons.
While Mr. Putin has largely achieved these goals thus far, the recent postponement of the Budapest meeting suggests that the Russian president’s repeated diplomatic stalling tactics may be losing their effectiveness, Mr. Samus observed.
President Zelensky himself publicly addressed Russia’s manipulative approach.
On Tuesday, he stated, ‘Russia continues to do everything it can to weasel out of diplomacy.’ He further noted, ‘As soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for us, for Ukraine, became less immediate, Russia’s interest in diplomacy faded almost automatically.’