Ukraine pushes for peace talks before winter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Kyiv is working to advance the peace negotiations with Russia before next winter, as Ukraine assesses its strategic position has improved thanks to long-range attacks targeting Russian energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv is working to advance peace talks with Russia before next winter. Photo: CBS News.

In an interview broadcast on CBS on May 31, President Zelenskiy stated that Russia had gradually lost the initiative on the battlefield since the end of 2025, while Ukraine intensified drone attacks deep inside Russian territory.

" Before winter, we need to find a diplomatic way to sit down and have a dialogue, " said Zelenskiy. The Ukrainian president indicated that talks organized with European support or bilateral dialogues with Russia were also possible, but he continued to call for tougher sanctions against Moscow.

In the interview, Zelenskiy also acknowledged that while Europe does not yet have a complete anti-missile defense program, Ukraine still needs US support in supplying anti-aircraft missiles. Zelenskiy emphasized that Ukraine hopes to reach an agreement with the US on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, in which Kyiv can share the experience accumulated over five years in countering and shooting down Russian UAVs and missiles. He said: “We have agreements on UAVs with several Middle Eastern countries and several European countries. Currently, we are preparing a major UAV agreement with the European Union, and I hope to have similar decisions with our American partners. I have high expectations for that.”

These statements were made in the context of Ukraine continuing to expand its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, including a drone attack on Russia's Saratov oil refinery. Photo: 112.ua.

These statements were made in the context of Ukraine continuing to expand its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, during the night of May 31st and the early morning of June 1st, Ukrainian forces conducted multiple drone strikes against targets in various regions of Russia, including the Saratov oil refinery on the Volga River, the Lazarevo pumping station of the Surgut-Gorky-Polotsk pipeline system in the Kirov region, and a fuel depot in the town of Matveyev Kurgan in the Rostov region.

The Ukrainian side stated that the attack on the Saratov oil refinery caused a major fire. President Zelenskiy asserted that this was one of several long-range attacks targeting Russia's oil industry, with the target located approximately 700 km from the front lines.

Meanwhile, Russian officials confirmed that numerous infrastructure facilities had been affected by the drone attacks. The Russian Ministry of Defense also stated that its air defenses shot down 216 Ukrainian drones overnight. Conversely, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 229 drones overnight targeting Ukrainian territory, of which 212 were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

With US-brokered peace talks failing to make significant progress, Ukrainian officials believe the country has a crucial period before winter to consolidate its position on the battlefield and gain an advantage for future diplomatic efforts.

Thanh Vân

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ukraine-thuc-day-dam-phan-hoa-binh-truc-mua-dong-289541.htm