MIAMI: Three days of talks between Ukrainian and US officials produced no apparent breakthrough Saturday, with President Volodymyr Zelensky committing to further negotiations toward "real peace," even as Russia launched another series of drone and missile strikes on its neighbor.
Zelensky said he joined his negotiators for a "very substantive and constructive" call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as part of the third day of meetings in Florida.
"Ukraine is committed to continuing to work honestly with the American side to bring about real peace," Zelensky said on Telegram, adding that the parties agreed "on the next steps and the format of the talks with America."
In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said he will meet Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London on Monday to "take stock" of the negotiations on the US-drafted plan on how to end the almost four-year war.
Ahead of Saturday's talks, Russia launched over 700 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, targeting critical infrastructure, such as energy sites and railways, and triggering heating and water outages for thousands of households.
"The main targets of these strikes, once again, were energy facilities," Zelensky said earlier in the day on social media. "Russia's aim is to inflict suffering on millions of Ukrainians."
As with previous waves of attacks, the Russian defense ministry said they had targeted "Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises and the energy facilities that support them," and added that "all designated targets were hit."
Paris slams Moscow's ' escalatory path'
The talks come after Witkoff and Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday, with Moscow rejecting parts of the US proposal.
"Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia's readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings," said a readout of the Miami talks posted Friday by Witkoff on X.
Also on Friday, US and Ukrainian officials "also agreed on the framework of security arrangements and discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace."
Macron announced he would travel to London on Monday to meet with Zelensky together with the German and British leaders, slamming what he called Russia's "escalatory path."
"We will continue these efforts with the Americans to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, without which no robust and lasting peace will be possible," the French president wrote on X.
He added: "We must continue to exert pressure on Russia to compel it to choose peace."