Senior Ukrainian officials landed in Washington on Tuesday, aiming to secure vital U.S. support against Russia, even as Kyiv demonstrated its resolve with a bold, symbolic strike on a key bridge emblematic of Moscow’s contested claims.
Just a day after sluggish peace talks in Istanbul yielded little progress, Ukraine launched one of its most coordinated waves of attacks since the war began.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reported detonating explosives beneath a critical road-rail bridge linking Russia to Crimea – a signature Kremlin project since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of the peninsula.
While the exact damage remains unclear, no immediate disruptions were reported.
This strike sent a clear message: Ukraine refuses to yield, even as the war drags on into its fourth year, with the bridge’s symbolic value underscoring the high stakes.
The blow came alongside drone and shelling assaults in southeastern Zaporizhzhia and southern Kherson regions, where attacks crippled electricity substations and plunged roughly 700,000 people into darkness, according to Russia-installed officials.
As Moscow acknowledged the complexity of peace efforts, warning against expecting rapid breakthroughs, Kyiv’s delegation – led by President Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak and Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svrydenko – was poised to push for expanded sanctions and increased defense aid during U.S. talks.
Yermak signaled a firm Ukrainian stance against Moscow’s perceived stalling. "Our agenda is comprehensive," he said via Telegram. "We will discuss defense support, battlefield developments, and tougher sanctions on Russia."
Amid these diplomatic moves, Ukraine’s military continued pressing in Russian-occupied territories, following a series of Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that have intermittently blacked out millions. Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-appointed Zaporizhzhia governor, confirmed total power loss across the region, noting urgent efforts to provide backup power to critical facilities.
Weekend drone strikes targeted Russian military airfields housing long-range, nuclear-capable bombers, intensifying calls from Russian military bloggers for a harsh Kremlin response.
Meanwhile, Russian artillery pounded the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, killing three and injuring 25 – a grim reminder of the war’s ongoing toll.
Zelenskyy, reflecting on the violence, said bluntly, "That’s all one needs to know about the Russian wish to end this war."
The Istanbul talks had Russia demanding that Ukraine surrender large territories and accept military restrictions – terms Kyiv views as an unacceptable surrender.
Moscow claims it awaits Ukraine’s formal response, emphasizing that peace negotiations are intricate and ongoing.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the peace process as “extraordinarily complex,” cautioning against expecting any immediate breakthroughs. He said, “The settlement theme is extremely complex, it consists of a large number of nuances ... It would be wrong to expect any immediate solutions and breakthroughs here, but work is underway.”
Peskov also confirmed that Moscow would honor agreements from Istanbul on prisoner exchanges and repatriation of soldiers’ bodies. On future diplomacy, he added, “Putin is ready for various high-level contacts if they are properly prepared,” but downplayed prospects of a near-term summit involving Putin, Trump and Zelenskyy.
Asked if Russia was open to compromising on its proposals, Peskov declined to comment, emphasizing, “Negotiations have to be conducted behind closed doors.”
