Zelensky quietly seeks direct talks with Russia, sidestepping Washington

Ukraine diplomacy has shifted a notch. Not with a treaty, not with a summit, but with a quieter change in how Volodymyr Zelensky seems to be planning for the next round of talks. The big idea is simple — Kyiv is no longer acting as if U.S. involvement is guaranteed, or even central, to any near-term negotiation with Russia. That matters because the fighting is still intense, and Russia is still trying to shape the battlefield with mass drone attacks while diplomacy inches along. (newsukraine.rbc.ua) ### What changed? The new wrinkle is Zelensky’s apparent willingness to pursue direct talks with Russia without waiting for Washington to drive the process. The reporting points to Turkey as a possible venue for the next contacts and suggests Kyiv has become more cautious about assuming Donald Trump’s White House will keep investing political energ(newsukraine.rbc.ua)pended on outside backing. (newsukraine.rbc.ua) ### Why sidestep Washington now? Because the U.S. piece looks less dependable than it did before. Earlier rounds of diplomacy were heavily shaped by American pressure, American weapons, and American signaling. But if Kyiv thinks Washington may be distracted, transactional, or simply less committed to grinding through peace talks, then building a pa(newsukraine.rbc.ua)y seems to be trying to avoid getting stuck waiting for someone else’s calendar. (newsukraine.rbc.ua) ### Is this a peace push? Not exactly. It is better understood as position-taking. Direct talks do not mean trust, and they do not mean a deal is close. They mean both sides still want channels open while fighting continues. Ukraine has every reason to test whether talks can produce anything useful, but Kyiv also knows Moscow has a long record of u(newsukraine.rbc.ua)ry Russia-Ukraine diplomatic opening. (politico.eu) ### What was happening on the battlefield? Russia underscored the point with scale. On May 1, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 409 drones between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. local time in a rare daytime mass assault. Ukraine said 388 were downed or otherwise neutralized, but some got through, and officials reported injuries in Ternopil in the west. (politico.eu)plomacy is being discussed. (usnews.com) ### Why does the drone number matter? Because 400-plus drones in daylight is not normal signaling. It shows production depth, operational confidence, and a willingness to make coercion visible. Night attacks already strain Ukrainian defenses. A daytime wave that large adds a second point: Russia wants Ukraine, and Ukraine’s backers, to see that pressure can be sustained in broad daylight too. Think of it less as one strike than as a demonstration of capacity. (usnews.com) ### Where does Europe fit in? Europe is trying to keep the coalition from softening. During his late-April U.S. visit, King Charles III used a speech to Congress to press alliance unity and continued support for Ukraine. That does not change the battlefield by itself, but it does show the wider anxiety — if Washington’s focus drifts, European leaders and symbols of the British state are trying to keep Ukraine from sliding down the priority list. (aljazeera.com) ### So what is Zelensky really doing? He is widening his options. That is the cleanest way to read this. Kyiv is not abandoning the U.S., and it is not embracing a separate peace track out of nowhere. It is preparing for a world where American engagement is less reliable, Turkish mediation is more useful, and Russian military pressure continues regardless of the diplomatic mood. (newsukraine.rbc.ua) The bottom line is that Ukraine now seems to be negotiating on two levels at once — talking about talks, while planning for less U.S. help and more Russian pressure. That is not a breakthrough. But it is a real shift.