-Friday world Feb 15th, 2026
Zelensky said the US has proposed to host the trilateral talks in its country for the first time. The talks will likely take place in the state of Miami in Florida state next week, with Ukraine certainly attending. "We have confirmed our participation," he said. The move comes after the last round of talks in Abu Dhabi, where no major agreement could be reached. Both sides are adamant on their demands, especially on issues such as the Donbass region and security guarantees.
But amid hopes of peace, attacks from Russia continue. Zelenskyy expressed concern that Russia is constantly attacking infrastructure linked to Ukraine's nuclear power plants. Recently, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine's energy grid, using more than 400 drones and dozens of missiles. The attack halved the production capacity of Ukraine's nuclear power plants and many reactors had to run at a low load. Energy Minister Denis Schmihal said high-voltage substations and thermal power plants were targeted, which enforced emergency power cuts across the country. Millions of households were powerled, water and heating supplies were affected.
President Zelenskyy, through the US, sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that bombardment and missile strikes on the energy infrastructure should be stopped. He said Washington has suggested a ceasefire and called for a halt to attack on facilities associated with nuclear plants. But there are no signs of stopping the attacks from Russia. Ukraine's energy company Ukrenergo described it as one of the biggest attacks of the year, which led to a steep drop in nuclear power output.
The deadline seems to be part of the US President Donald Trump administration's strategy to end the war by June and focus on midterm elections. Zelensky indicated that midterm elections are more important for the US, so they want a hasty agreement. "They want to complete everything by June and want a clear schedule for it," he said.
This situation is a double challenge for Ukraine – on the one hand the hope of peace talks, on the other hand, civil life was destroyed by Russia's attacks. Millions of people have been affected by the power cuts in the winter cold. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also warned that such attacks are endangering Ukraine's nuclear security.
Experts believe that if the June deadline is not achieved, the US will put more pressure on both sides. But there has been no positive sign from Russia yet. Both the people and the military of Ukraine are struggling between hope and challenges. Will this time-frame bring the end of war or will it be just another political bet? The coming weeks and months will respond.
Sajjadali Nayani ✍
Friday world Feb 15th, 2026
