Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Wednesday, targeting crucial Ukrainian power plants, a kindergarten, and other civilian areas, resulting in six fatalities. This aggression occurred mere hours after President Trump announced the postponement of his anticipated summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing a desire to avoid a “wasted” diplomatic effort to end the conflict.
Just last week, Trump had expressed intentions to meet with Putin in Hungary to further peace negotiations. However, following discussions between American and Russian diplomats on Tuesday, the White House confirmed that a summit would not take place “in the immediate future.”
The delay was announced by the Trump administration after Russian officials firmly reiterated their uncompromising demands for an end to the invasion of Ukraine. They once again rejected a ceasefire proposal that would have frozen the conflict along its existing front lines.
On Wednesday, harrowing social media footage from officials showed emergency responders rescuing young children from a blazing kindergarten in Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine. This attack on the kindergarten tragically killed one person and injured several others, according to official reports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the night’s relentless assaults served as undeniable proof that Russia “clearly doesn’t feel enough pressure to stop prolonging the war.”
This intense Russian barrage led to nationwide electricity rationing for industries and urgent blackouts for residents across various regions, including Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. These attacks mirror a recurring pattern where Russia escalates its assaults on Ukraine following key diplomatic interactions with the Trump administration.
Zelensky emphasized on Tuesday that Ukraine’s ability to exert pressure on Moscow to halt its invasion hinged on acquiring more long-range weaponry. Despite meeting with Trump at the White House last Friday, the Ukrainian leader concluded those challenging discussions without securing the American long-range missiles he desperately sought.
Although publicly endorsing Trump’s peace initiatives, Ukrainian officials have consistently maintained that Moscow will cease its aggression only if Kyiv possesses adequate retaliatory capabilities.
Analysts in Ukraine expressed optimism that Trump might finally be discerning Putin’s strategy of prolonged engagement through high-profile meetings that consistently yield minimal progress. Russian officials had enthusiastically received the summit proposal for Budapest after Trump’s call with Putin on Thursday, which preceded his meeting with Zelensky.
Mykhailo Samus, director of the independent New Geopolitics Research Network in Kyiv, commented, “Trump realized that this meeting would be a catastrophe, and he would gain nothing but shame. But the question is, what is next? Will Putin be able to get him to such a meeting again?”
Samus further asserted, “It is important for President Trump to understand that a Nobel Peace Prize is possible only by pressuring Putin, not by shouting at Zelensky.”
Remarkably, Trump has consistently shown deference to Putin. The American president has failed to act on his threats to penalize 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.
Nevertheless, seemingly invigorated by his success in brokering a Gaza ceasefire and perpetually driven by his public ambition for a Nobel Prize, Trump has endeavored to revive a stalled Ukrainian peace process, which had faltered following his summer meeting with Putin in Alaska.
Although Zelensky’s recent talks with Trump concluded without securing new weaponry, he did obtain assurances of continued U.S. support for Kyiv’s territorial stance. Moscow, meanwhile, has made it clear it insists on Ukraine surrendering the remaining Ukrainian-controlled areas of the eastern Donetsk region, a demand completely unacceptable to Kyiv.
Zelensky is scheduled to meet with European leaders in Denmark on Thursday to garner further support from European nations. These countries have stepped up as Kyiv’s main financial and military supporters since Trump halted direct American aid. European leaders, in solidarity with Ukraine, have advocated for an immediate ceasefire along the existing battle lines.
According to analyst Mr. Samus, since early spring, Russia’s participation in talks has been driven by a singular objective: to prolong any potential ceasefire and to prevent the United States from supplying Ukraine with long-range armaments.
While Putin has largely achieved these goals thus far, Samus noted that the delayed Budapest meeting suggests the Russian president’s ability to repeatedly employ this tactic might be waning.
Zelensky also explicitly denounced Russia’s strategic maneuvers.
“Russia continues to do everything it can to evade genuine diplomacy,” he stated on Tuesday. “As soon as the prospect of long-range capabilities for Ukraine became less pressing, Russia’s engagement in diplomatic efforts dwindled almost automatically.”