President Trump's 'Art of the Deal'

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump pose for a photo during a meeting at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22, 2026. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/UPI/Shutterstock

"The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties precisely according to this schedule."

"And they say that they want to do everything by June. And they will do everything to end the war. And they want a clear schedule of all events."

"Difficult issues remained difficult. Ukraine once again confirmed its position on the Donbas issue."

"'We stand where we stand' is the fairest and most reliable model for a ceasefire today, in our opinion."

"The elections are, for them, definitely more important. Let’s not be naive. They say they want to achieve everything by June, and they will do everything possible to ensure the war ends that way."

"[U.S.] Intelligence showed me the so-called ‘Dmitriev package’ that he [$12 trillion economic cooperation package Russian envoy Kirill Dimitriev] presented in the US."

"There are also various signals, both in the media and elsewhere, that some of these agreements could also involve issues related to Ukraine — for example, our sovereignty or Ukraine’s security."

"We are making it clear that Ukraine will not support any such potential agreements about us that are made without us." 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 

People shelter inside a metro station during a Russian overnight missile and drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 7, 2026.   Alina Smutko/Reuters

 

Russia, revealed President Zelenskyy, presented the U.S. with a $12-trillion (U.S.) economic proposal which he referred to as the 'Dmitriev package'. Such bilateral economic deals form part of the broader negotiating process, meeting certain expectations of U.S. President Trump, the supreme dealmaker. Kyiv, on the other hand, has acquiesced to Trump's wish to ensure U.S. interests are met in Ukraine's rich stores of minerals, to keep in the game.

 

While negotiators on behalf of the U.S. speak of a cessation of conflict, Vladimir Putin knows that the longer Moscow strings out the agonizing process of achieving an agreement represents more opportunity for the Russian military to achieve greater territorial gains. Meaning to continue to press down hard on demanding that Ukraine agree to withdrawing its troops and its continued sovereign aspirations from all territory that Russia has so far wrenched away through its almost-four-year invasion.

 

While President Zelenskyy anxiously tries to read which way President Trump's moods are shifting at any given time, their Russian counterpart oversees ongoing strikes on energy infrastructure in Ukraine, forcing nuclear power plants to cut their output. Over 400 drones and about 40 missile were launched overnight Saturday targeting Ukraine's energy grid, generation facilities and distribution networks.  

"The Russians deliberately targeted, among other things, energy facilities on which the operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants depends."

"This puts at risk not only our security in Ukraine, but also the shared regional and European security."

"This is a level of attack that no terrorist in the world has ever dared, and Russia must feel the world’s response."

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Firefighters battle a blaze after a Ukrainian industrial enterprise was struck by a Russian drone attack on Feb. 6, 2026. via REUTERS

 

Ukraine's state energy transmission operator Ukrenergo described this latest attack as the second mass strike on energy infrastructure since the new year. Nuclear power plants were forced to reduce their output; eight facilities in eight regions under attack. "As a result of missile strikes on key high-voltage substations that ensured the output of nuclear power units, all nuclear power plants in the territories under control were forced to reduce their load", increasing the country's power deficit "significantly" forcing hourly power outages in all regions to be extended.

 

Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi produced no breakthrough -- with both Ukraine and Russia repeating mutually exclusive positions; Russia pressing Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas where intense fighting is taking place; a demand that Kyiv will never accede to. No common ground  was reached to manage the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant being held by Russia. As for the U.S. proposal that the Donbas region be turned into a free economic zone, Mr. Zelenskyy was skeptical.

 

"I do not know whether this can be implemented, because when we talked about a free economic zone, we had different views on it." Repeated aerial assaults by Russia have focused on the Ukraine power grid. leading to blackouts and heating and water supply disruptions during a bitterly cold winter. Once more the U.S. proposed a ceasefire banning strikes on energy infrastructure. While Ukraine is prepared to observe such a pause, Russia's response could be predicted in its violation of a previous one-week pause it had agreed to in principle that lasted all of four days. 

 

Russia has regularly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure during winter