Russia’s war on Ukraine ‘must be brought to an end’, Zelenskyy says

What the report says

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media that Russia’s war on Ukraine “must be brought to an end” and that Kyiv is preparing for the next phase of diplomacy. According to Al Jazeera, he said he spoke with US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and described contact between Washington and Kyiv as “virtually nonstop,” even as relations with President Donald Trump’s administration have become strained.

The report says the tension follows Trump’s decision on Saturday to waive expected sanctions against Russia’s energy sector and his criticism of renewed Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy sites. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was focused on the outcome of recent talks in Florida and on next steps, while also thanking the US for restoring intelligence sharing after a pause that Kyiv said left it exposed to Russian missile attacks.

Al Jazeera also reported that Ukrainian officials have raised concerns about limits affecting Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink system, and about access to the service for deep strikes inside Russia. US officials gave mixed signals, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying the issue was still being discussed.

The article also noted continued cross-border attacks. Ukrainian media reported Russian strikes killed civilians in western and southeastern Ukraine, while Ukrainian drones hit targets in Russia’s St Petersburg, including an oil refinery and depot, in what Russian state media described as the city’s largest attack since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.