The last time President Volodymyr Zelensky returned to Kyiv from Washington, Ukraine had been plunged into its biggest diplomatic crisis of the war. A disastrous meeting with President Trump had prompted the United States to temporarily freeze all military aid and intelligence sharing with the war-torn nation, leaving Kyiv scrambling to repair the fallout.
Mr. Zelensky’s return this week from another high-stakes meeting at the White House could not have been more different. This time, he projected cautious optimism as he sat down with reporters on Wednesday, after the United States had agreed to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a postwar settlement intended to deter further Russian aggression.
“Before our meeting in Washington, the United States had not been involved in the security guarantees,” said Mr. Zelensky, looking tired but resolute after the long trip home. “Now we have heard about their readiness to join. This is very important for Ukraine and for all of Europe. I am very grateful to President Trump for this.”
What the guarantees will entail remains unclear, and Russia on Wednesday threw a wrench in the works by insisting that it must be part of these assurances. That demand would effectively give the aggressor a say in the victim’s future security architecture, an obvious nonstarter for Kyiv.
And not long after Mr. Zelensky had gotten back to Kyiv, Russia overnight on Thursday launched a barrage of nearly 600 drones and 40 missiles at Ukrainian cities, according to data from the Ukrainian Air Force. It was the largest air attack since peace talks intensified about two weeks ago.
The attack hit several western Ukrainian cities that are rarely targeted, including Mukachevo, in the mostly unscathed Transcarpathia region. A large electronics manufacturing plant there, operated by the American-affiliated company Flex, was set ablaze in the attack, leaving some 15 people injured, according to the local authorities.
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The post Zelensky, Back From Washington, Projects More Confidence in Peace Talks appeared first on New York Times.
