Zelenskyy: Ceasefire plan ready within 10 days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Kyiv and its Western partners are preparing to finalize a concise ceasefire proposal within the next ten days, while welcoming fresh US sanctions targeting Russia’s oil sector under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Speaking to Axios, Zelenskyy said the plan would focus on “short, practical steps” to end hostilities rather than elaborate diplomatic frameworks. “I told our partners the plan should be short, without too many details — just a clear path toward a ceasefire,” he explained.

Trump’s new sanctions hit Russia’s oil exports

Zelenskyy expressed cautious optimism about the latest wave of US sanctions imposed on Russian energy companies, including Rosneft and Lukoil, calling them “a real game changer.”

According to Anadolu, he estimated that the measures could cut Russia’s oil exports by up to 50 percent, costing Moscow roughly $5 billion per month.

“Sanctions alone won’t stop Putin,” Zelenskyy cautioned, “but they can weaken his ability to finance this war. We are grateful for these steps, and it is important not to stop here.”

The Ukrainian leader urged Washington to synchronize sanctions with other G7 countries and to impose further tariff and export restrictions on Russian energy and trade.

Kyiv seeks long-range weapons and broader Western coordination

While welcoming the US measures, Zelenskyy warned that “sanctions alone are not enough,” insisting that Ukraine also needs long-range missiles to pressure Moscow into serious negotiations.

He said he raised the issue directly with President Trump during their tense White House meeting earlier this month, which also included discussion of a possible peace framework that would freeze the current front lines.

Although Trump reportedly viewed the idea as “constructive,” Russian President Vladimir Putin later rejected similar proposals during talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Drafting the ceasefire plan

Following that meeting, Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed to start drafting a joint peace document outlining conditions for a ceasefire. The work is expected to be completed “within the next week or ten days.”

“We must show the world that diplomacy is still possible,” Zelenskyy said. “Even a short, realistic plan is better than none.”

The Ukrainian president admitted, however, that he remains skeptical about Russia’s willingness to engage, pointing out that neither side currently holds a decisive advantage on the battlefield.

“According to our intelligence, nobody is winning now — not us, not Russia,” he added.

Renewed Russian drone strikes on Kyiv

Zelenskyy’s announcement came shortly after one of the deadliest Russian drone attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks.

According to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, at least three people were killed and 32 injured, including seven children, after overnight drone strikes hit several residential districts in the capital.

Two high-rise buildings in Desnianskyi were severely damaged, and fires broke out in private homes in Darnytskyi, officials said. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that emergency and restoration work was ongoing across the city.

Zelenskyy condemned the attack on X (formerly Twitter), saying:

“Every Russian strike is an attempt to inflict maximum damage on civilian life — our people, our children, our homes. These are their main targets.”

Ukraine’s Air Force claimed to have shot down 90 out of 101 drones launched by Russia overnight, though Moscow denied those figures, insisting it had struck Ukraine’s defense industry and energy infrastructure.

Diplomatic backdrop and stalled summit

The renewed violence follows the collapse of a planned Trump–Putin summit in Budapest, after Moscow reportedly rejected Washington’s proposals for a ceasefire outline.

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev held backchannel talks in Miami over the weekend, but no breakthroughs were announced.

Analysts say the situation underscores both the fragility of current ceasefire efforts and the mounting geopolitical pressure on Russia’s economy following the Trump administration’s latest sanctions.

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