Will Zelenskyy’s trip to Turkey and talks with a US envoy restart efforts to end the war?

Turkey hosted several rounds of low-level contacts between Ukraine and Russia earlier this year, but progress was limited. International efforts led by the United States have also not produced a breakthrough.

Zelenskyy said on social media that he will be in Turkey on Wednesday, after travelling to Spain on Tuesday. He said Ukraine is “preparing to reinvigorate negotiations” and has “developed solutions” to present to partners, without giving details. He added that “doing everything possible to bring the end of the war closer is Ukraine’s top priority”, according to the AP.

US President Donald Trump has expressed frustration over Russia’s position in the talks. New US sanctions on Russia’s oil industry intended to pressure President Vladimir Putin will take effect on Friday. The measures target major companies Rosneft and Lukoil and include the risk of secondary sanctions for others who breach them. China and India remain large buyers of Russian oil.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to AP reporting, that “there will be no Russian representative in Turkey” on Wednesday, though he said Moscow is ready to negotiate. “For now, these contacts are taking place without Russian participation,” he told reporters.

Zelenskyy said he will meet senior Ukrainian officials on Thursday, including the leadership of parliament and his political party, Servant of the People. He was also due to meet Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and King Felipe VI on Tuesday and to visit Spain’s parliament.

The Turkey and Spain trips follow Zelenskyy’s visit to Paris on Monday, where he signed a letter of intent to buy up to 100 Rafale fighter jets from France, as well as drones and air-defence systems.

On the battlefield, Ukraine carried out a surprise aerial strike on energy sites in Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk. Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed head of the region, said on Tuesday that two thermal power stations were damaged and that many areas lost electricity. He had earlier reported drone attacks that cut power to around 500,000 consumers.

Russian forces continue trying to advance in Donetsk, while Ukraine’s military, though outnumbered, is holding its positions, according to officials, .

In the Kharkiv region, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said a 17-year-old girl died and 10 people were injured after a Russian missile struck the town of Berestyn.

In Dnipro, local officials reported that Russian drones caused several fires and injured two people overnight. The attacks damaged residential buildings and the offices of public broadcaster Suspilne. Ukraine’s railway operator said train cars and other infrastructure were also hit.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched four Iskander-M ballistic missiles along with 114 strike and decoy drones overnight. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 31 Ukrainian drones across several regions.