In a stark display of unrelenting aggression, Russia unleashed a wide-ranging attack on Wednesday, targeting critical Ukrainian power plants, a kindergarten, and other locations, resulting in six fatalities. This devastating barrage occurred just hours after President Trump announced the postponement of a scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, citing a desire to avoid a “wasted” effort in peace negotiations.
President Trump had previously stated late last week his intention to meet with Mr. Putin in Hungary to further peace discussions. However, following recent talks between American and Russian officials, the White House confirmed on Tuesday that no summit was anticipated “in the immediate future.”
The decision by the Trump administration to delay the meeting came after Russian officials firmly communicated their unwillingness to compromise on their maximalist demands for ending the invasion of Ukraine. They once again rejected a proposed cease-fire that would freeze the existing front lines.
Compounding the tragedy, Ukrainian officials shared compelling video footage on social media depicting emergency responders rescuing young children from a burning kindergarten in Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine. This attack on the kindergarten alone claimed one life and left several others injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that these overnight assaults underscored Russia’s conviction that it “clearly doesn’t feel enough pressure to stop prolonging the war.”
The extensive Russian shelling triggered widespread power restrictions for industrial users and necessitated emergency blackouts for civilians across various regions, including the capital, Kyiv. These strikes mirrored a consistent pattern: Russia often escalates its attacks on Ukraine following significant diplomatic engagements with the Trump administration. Furthermore, the Kremlin confirmed that Russia conducted nuclear weapons drills on its own territory on Wednesday, which included test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
On Tuesday, Mr. Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s urgent need for more long-range weaponry, asserting that such capabilities are essential to gain leverage and compel Moscow to cease its invasion. Despite meeting with Mr. Trump at the White House on Friday, the Ukrainian leader concluded those challenging discussions without securing the American long-range missiles he had sought.
While publicly endorsing President Trump’s peace initiatives, Ukrainian officials have consistently maintained that Moscow will only cease its aggression if Kyiv possesses the means to retaliate effectively.
Analysts in Ukraine expressed cautious optimism that President Trump might be starting to perceive Mr. Putin’s recurring tactic of delaying genuine progress by agreeing to high-profile meetings that ultimately yield little in the way of concrete results. Russian officials had enthusiastically welcomed the proposal for a Budapest summit after President Trump’s call with Mr. Putin on Thursday, the day before 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. But the question is, what is next? Will Putin be able to get him to such a meeting again?”
“It is important for President Trump to understand that a Nobel Peace Prize is possible only by pressuring Putin, not by shouting at Zelensky,” Mr. Samus added, underlining the perceived need for a shift in diplomatic strategy.
President Trump has frequently shown considerable deference to Mr. Putin, notably by not acting on his past threats to penalize Russia for its refusal to end the conflict. Moreover, despite warnings from the Kremlin, he has thus far withheld American Tomahawk missiles from Kyiv.
Nevertheless, seemingly emboldened by his recent success in brokering a Gaza cease-fire, and consistently driven by his public aspiration for a Nobel Peace Prize, Mr. Trump has renewed efforts to revive a peace process for Ukraine. This process had previously stalled following his meeting with Mr. Putin in Alaska earlier this summer.
While Mr. Zelensky did not secure new weapons during his White House talks with Mr. Trump last week, he did achieve continued U.S. support for Kyiv’s stance on territorial integrity. Moscow has indicated its firm position that Ukraine must surrender the parts of the eastern Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control, a demand Kyiv unequivocally rejects.
Mr. Zelensky is scheduled to meet with European leaders in Denmark on Thursday, seeking additional support from European nations. These countries have become Ukraine’s primary financial and military backers since President Trump ceased direct American aid. European leaders have aligned with Ukraine in advocating for an immediate cease-fire along the current battle lines.
On Wednesday, President Trump was also slated to meet in Washington with Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, with Ukraine expected to be a key topic of discussion.
According to Mr. Samus, the analyst, Russia’s primary objective in engaging in talks since this spring has been to delay any cease-fire and to prevent the United States from supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons.
Although Mr. Putin has largely achieved these goals so far, Mr. Samus suggested that the postponed Budapest meeting signals a potential decline in the Russian president’s ability to repeatedly employ the same diplomatic tactics effectively.
Mr. Zelensky himself publicly acknowledged Russia’s diplomatic maneuvering.
“Russia continues to do everything it can to weasel out of diplomacy,” he stated on Tuesday. “As soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for us, for Ukraine, became less immediate, Russia’s interest in diplomacy faded almost automatically.”