Zelensky signals progress in talks with US on peace plan

Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has said he had a "very constructive" phone call with Donald Trump's peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the US president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Zelensky said they had discussed how to ensure that Russia stuck to any potential deal to end its war with Ukraine and that he was "determined" to continue working with the US. Ukrainian officials also joined the call from Miami, where they are in engaged in a third day of talks on US efforts to engineer a peace deal with Russia. Moscow does not appear to have made any concessions, and continues to carry out massive bombardments of Ukraine."Ukraine is determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace," Zelensky said on X. "We covered many aspects and went through key points that could ensure an end to the bloodshed and eliminate the threat of a new Russian full scale invasion."Russia subjected Ukraine to further air and missile strikes overnight, drawing condemnation from Ukraine's EU allies. In a social media post, French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken to Zelensky and offered his "full solidarity". "France is determined to work with all partners to secure de-escalation measures and to impose a ceasefire," Macron added. Earlier, Macron confirmed that he would join Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in talks in London on Monday. The four leaders will discuss the ongoing talks between US and Ukrainian officials aimed at finding an agreement on guaranteeing Ukraine's post-war security.Two weeks earlier, the four met virtually to discuss a European peacekeeping force that could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.Sir Keir has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine must determine its own future, and said the coalition of the willing's peacekeeping force would play a "vital role" in guaranteeing the country's security.Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected the idea of such a force saying any troops deployed to Ukraine would be "legitimate targets".Russia launched 653 drones and 51 missiles on Friday night, Ukrainian authorities say. One strike hit a railway hub at the town of Fastiv southwest of Kyiv, destroying the main station building and damaging rolling stock.Ukraine's energy ministry said Russian attacks had hit energy facilities in eight regions, causing blackouts. Russia says it targeted military-industrial sites, and energy and port infrastructure.US and Ukrainian negotiators urged Russia to show a "serious commitment to long-term peace" after talks in Moscow failed to produce a breakthrough. Meanwhile, talks in Florida between Ukrainian and US officials to convince Ukraine to accept a US-backed peace plan are entering a third day. In a statement produced on Friday, Witkoff said two days of talks with Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine's national security council, had been "constructive".Witkoff and Umerov "agreed on the framework of security arrangements" and "discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace", their statement said without giving details.The prospect of ending the war depended on Russia's readiness to take "steps towards de-escalation and cessation of killing", the statement added.