The U.S. has given Ukraine and Russia a deadline of June to reach an agreement to end nearly four years of war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday. His remarks came after Russian overnight strikes on energy infrastructure forced nuclear power plants to reduce production. If the June deadline is not met, the Trump administration will likely pressure both sides to comply, Zelensky added. "Americans are suggesting that the parties end the war by the beginning of summer and will likely put pressure on the parties accordingly," he said. "And they say they want to get everything done by June. And they will do everything to end the war. And they want to have a clear schedule of all events," he added. Zelensky reported that the U.S. proposed to hold the next round of trilateral negotiations next week for the first time in their country, likely in Miami, confirming Ukraine's participation. Zelensky stated that Russia presented the U.S. with an economic proposal of $12 trillion, which he referred to as the "Dmitriev package" in honor of the Russian envoy, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev. Bilateral economic deals with the U.S. are part of a broader negotiation process. ## Russian strikes hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure In a separate message on X, Zelensky confirmed that Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure continue: over 400 drones and about 40 missiles were launched overnight Saturday. The targets were energy systems, generation facilities, and distribution networks. The state electricity transmission operator "Ukrenergo" stated that the attack was the second mass strike on energy infrastructure since the beginning of the year, forcing nuclear power plants to reduce production. Eight facilities in eight regions were attacked, according to the statement. "As a result of missile strikes on key high-voltage substations that ensure the operation of nuclear power units, all nuclear power plants in controlled territories were forced to reduce load," the statement said. It also noted that as a result of the attacks, the electricity deficit in the country "significantly increased," leading to extended hourly power outages across all regions of Ukraine. Repeated Russian air attacks in recent months have targeted Ukraine's energy system, causing power outages and disrupting heating and water supply for families during the harsh cold winter. Zelensky said that the U.S. again proposed a ceasefire by banning strikes on energy infrastructure, and Ukraine is ready to adhere to this truce if Russia makes corresponding commitments. At the same time, he added that when Moscow previously agreed to a week-long pause proposed by the U.S., it was violated just four days later. According to other reports, in response to Trump's personal request, the Kremlin agreed to pause strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure until February 1. The U.S. president then noted that Putin kept his promise, and many observers criticized such a statement. Temperatures in Ukraine dropped to minus 20 degrees, and Zelensky said: "Using the coldest winter days to intimidate the population is more important for Russia than choosing diplomacy." On Saturday morning, part of the border Belgorod region was also left without electricity after strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. ## ## Breakthrough depends on the highly contentious Donbas region The announcement of the "deadline" came after trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi mediated by the U.S., which did not lead to a breakthrough. Russia continues to insist that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the Donbas, where intense fighting continues, and Kyiv states that it will never agree to this condition. Zelensky has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction that his country is being asked to make disproportionately large compromises compared to Russia. "Difficult questions remain difficult. Ukraine has once again confirmed its positions on the Donbas issue. We stand where we stand - this is the fairest and most reliable model for a ceasefire to date, in our opinion," Zelensky said. He confirmed that the most complex topics will be brought to the trilateral meeting of leaders. Zelensky also noted that no common ground was found on the issue of managing the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and he was skeptical about the U.S. proposal to turn the Donbas region, desired by Russia, into a free economic zone as a compromise. "I don’t know if this can be realized because when we talked about a free economic zone, we had different views on it," he said. According to him, during the last round of negotiations, participants discussed how technical control over the ceasefire would be carried out. He added that the U.S. confirmed that it would play a certain role in this process. On Friday evening, Reuters reported that, according to numerous anonymous sources, any agreement between Ukraine and Russia would be put to a referendum of Ukrainian voters simultaneously with national elections.