A Russian attack in Kyiv kills six people at a crucial moment in negotiations

BarcelonaWhile The diplomatic machinery is working tirelessly to achieve a peace agreement in Ukraine.The war machine continues unabated, and Russia is trying to impose its conditions at the negotiating table by pressuring the front lines and attacking the Ukrainian population. This morning, the Kremlin unleashed a barrage of drones on Kyiv, leaving six dead and thirteen wounded, and disrupting electricity and heating systems. Ukrainian authorities have shot down 438 of the 460 drones and 14 of the 22 missiles launched by Moscow in what is the second major Russian attack on the capital this month. "The main target has been the energy sector and everything that sustains normal life," Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a Telegram post. The attack also damaged several residential buildings, energy infrastructure, and port facilities in the Odessa region. However, some of the drones had previously flown over neighboring countries such as Moldova and Romania, a NATO member, as Zelensky has alleged. In response, Romania has sent fighter jets to track the aircraft, the Romanian Defense Ministry said.

The Ukrainian president has been between a rock and a hard place since last week when Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to negotiate a peace plan by Thursday—secretly negotiated with Moscow—that accepted most of the Kremlin's demands. Since then, European leaders have worked closely with Zelensky to draft a counterproposal, which Moscow has already rejected. This morning, the Russian Foreign Minister reiterated: "[European leaders] want to undermine Donald Trump's efforts; they want to rewrite the plan to suit their own purposes," said Sergei Lavrov.

But, according to reports Financial TimesUS Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll will meet Tuesday in Abu Dhabi with Russian and Ukrainian officials in another attempt to bridge the gap between the original US peace plan, based on Russian demands, and the Ukrainian response, backed by Europe. According to the newspaper, he had already met with Russian officials that evening to pave the way for negotiations, information on which the Kremlin declined to comment. In contrast, the Russian spokesman did express support for the peace plan proposed by Trump, which he believes could be "a very good basis for negotiations." "At some point, we will certainly make contact with the Americans and officially receive some information. For now, there are no updates," he said.

Zelensky confirmed Monday night that the first draft, which initially had 28 points, was reduced by removing some of the most unacceptable requirements for Kyiv. This new plan is more satisfactory for Ukraine, but as the Ukrainian president acknowledged, it will be "very difficult" to reach a consensus on the final document to be negotiated with Russia. Key points include the possible cession of territory to Moscow, the veto of Ukraine's potential entry into NATO, and Kyiv's capacity to rearm in the future.

With this proposal in hand, Zelensky hopes to travel to Washington to meet with Donald Trump, convince him of his plan, and finalize the most sensitive issues: "We hope to organize a visit by the Ukrainian president to the United States as soon as possible with the Secretary-General of the Council to finalize the last steps and close the deal," said Ukrainian Rustem Umerov on Tuesday.

Europe tries to assert itself

Meanwhile, the European bloc is trying to strengthen its position to come to the negotiating table with more leverage. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, will lead a virtual meeting of the so-called Voluntary Coalition this Tuesday to analyze the progress of the negotiations. The group, formed in March and comprised of some 30 countries (mostly European), aims to offer security guarantees in Ukraine once a ceasefire is reached with Moscow. Participants in the meeting are expected to work towards aligning their positions with Washington's proposal to end the conflict.

In a previous statement, Macron outlined the potential direction of the talks. "We want peace, but we don't want a peace that is a capitulation for Ukraine. That is, one that puts Ukraine in an impossible situation, that gives Russia complete freedom to continue and go further—also towards other European states—and that endangers our security," the French leader said.