Zelenskyy seeks talks with Trump and European leaders on slow progress of peace efforts with Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that Ukrainian officials want to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders next week to discuss recent developments in efforts to end the three-year war with Russia.

The proposed meetings appeared designed to add momentum to the push for peace, as Zelenskyy expressed frustration with what he called Russia’s lack of constructive engagement in the process while it continues to launch devastating aerial attacks on civilian areas.

Trump has bristled at Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s stalling on an U.S. proposal for direct peace talks with Zelenskyy, and said a week ago he expected to decide on next steps in two weeks if direct talks aren’t scheduled.

Trump complained last month that Putin “ talks nice and then he bombs everybody.” But he has also chided Ukraine for its attacks.

At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday, the United States warned Russia to move toward peace and meet with Ukraine or face possible sanctions. The meeting was called after a major Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight from Wednesday to Thursday that killed at least 23 people

John Kelley, the U.S. mission’s minister-counselor, said the strikes “cast doubt on the seriousness of Russia’s desire for peace” and demanded they stop. He said Putin and Zelenskyy must agree to meet, and reiterated Trump’s warning that the U.S. could impose sanctions on Russia if the war continues.

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, met on Friday in New York with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss preparations for upcoming meetings.

“The key priority is to push forward real diplomacy and ensure the implementation of all the agreements reached at the Washington summit,” Yermak said in a social media post. “We are coordinating our efforts.”

Yermak said he had briefed Witkoff on Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine and lamented that Putin had shown no willingness to engage in peace efforts despite his meeting with Trump in Alaska this month.

“Unfortunately, Russia is failing to fulfill anything necessary to end the war and is clearly dragging out the hostilities,” Yermak wrote in a lengthy post on X. “Ukraine supports President Trump’s firm resolve, as well as that of all partners, to achieve a lasting peace as soon as possible. Ukraine welcomes all peace initiatives put forward by the United States. But unfortunately, each of them is being stalled by Russia.”

Of the meeting, a White House official said only that Yermak and Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s ambassador extraordinary, gave Witkoff a status update on the war and Russia’s strikes on Kyiv this week. The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv that he expected “several meetings at different venues” with European leaders next week.

Ukrainian negotiators have been trying to move the peace process forward in talks in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland and the United States, he said.

Ukraine has accepted a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire and a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, but Moscow has raised objections.

Zelenskyy accused Russia of dragging out negotiations, including by putting off a Russia-Ukraine summit with the argument that the groundwork for a possible peace settlement must be thrashed out first by lower officials before leaders meet.

That reasoning, Zelenskyy said, is “artificial … because they want to show the United States that they are constructive, but they are not constructive.”

“In my opinion, leaders must urgently be involved to reach agreements,” Zelenskyy added.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday reiterated Moscow’s long-held position that Putin “doesn’t rule out” meeting Zelenskyy, but only after progress is made “at the expert level.”

A summit “must be well prepared so that it can finalize the work that must first be carried out at the expert level,” Peskov told reporters during his daily conference call.

“At this point we can’t say that the expert work is in full swing, so to speak. No, unfortunately, not. We maintain our interest and our readiness for these negotiations,” he said.

Zelenskyy urged swift secondary sanctions on countries that trade with Russia and thereby support its war economy.

He said the possible postwar security guarantees being assessed by Western countries to deter another Russian invasion in the future must include a secure supply of weapons for Ukraine, either through domestic production or Western provision, and U.S. weapons paid for by Europe.

Zelenskyy's comments came after the death toll in a major Russian missile and drone strike on the Ukrainian capital rose to 23, including four children, officials said Friday. Ukraine needs more sophisticated Western air defense systems to counter such attacks.

Authorities in the Kyiv region declared Friday an official day of mourning. Flags flew at half-staff and all entertainment events were canceled after Russia hammered Ukraine with almost 600 drones and more than 30 missiles overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, including rare strikes on downtown Kyiv.

Rescue workers pulled 17 people from the rubble after the attack, among them four children, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. The youngest victim was a 2-year-old girl. Some bodies have yet to be identified, and eight people remain unaccounted for, authorities said. More than 50 people were wounded.

Putin is due to attend a meeting in China from Sunday that will also include Iran and North Korea, countries that have aided Russia’s war effort, according to the United States.

The war in Ukraine is certain to be a top issue at the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly from Sept. 22 to Sept. 29.

The Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, noted that recent U.S. presidents have shied away from taking a tougher line with Putin for fear of a potential nuclear conflict.

“Putin knows that Washington and its allies have more than enough capacity to reverse his gains in Ukraine, but it is nearly certain that he doubts the United States has the will to do so,” the Atlantic Council said in an assessment this week.

It added that “the second Trump administration has repeatedly signaled that the United States has no vital interests at stake in this war.”

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks during his press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacts during his press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A police officer passes by the British Council building after it was hit during Russian missile and drone attacks in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025 (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)

A pile of shattered glass from a storefront window sits outside a salon as a hairdresser shampoos a client's hair, after Russia's drone and missile attack that damaged residential buildings in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025 (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)

A man carries a sofa at his apartment damaged by a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Firefighters work on the site of a burning building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, early Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.

The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used federal law, to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump said in social media post.

Presidents have invoked the law more than two dozen times, most recently in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that instance, local authorities had asked for the assistance.

“I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are,” Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said on X.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he would challenge any such action in court. He's already suing to try to stop the surge by the Department of Homeland Security, which says officers have arrested more than 2,500 people since Nov. 29 as part of an immigration operation in the Twin Cities called Metro Surge.

The operation grew when ICE sent 2,000 officers and agents to the area early in January. ICE is a DHS agency.

In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.

Demonstrations have become common in Minneapolis since Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7. Agents who have yanked people from their cars and homes have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.

“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of three people who said they were questioned or detained in recent days. The lawsuit says two are Somali and one is Hispanic; all three are U.S. citizens. The lawsuit seeks an end to what the ACLU describes as a practice of racial profiling and warrantless arrests. The government did not immediately comment.

Homeland Security said in a statement that federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The person drove off then crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.

Officers caught up, then two other people arrived and the three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said. The confrontation took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from where Good was killed.

Police chief Brian O’Hara said the man who was shot did not have a life-threatening injury. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that of Homeland Security, which later said the other two men were also in the U.S. illegally from Venezuela.

The FBI said several government vehicles were damaged and property inside was stolen when agents responded to the shooting. Photos show broken windows and insults made with paint. A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information. The FBI’s Minneapolis office did not immediately reply to messages seeking more details.

St. Paul Public Schools, with more than 30,000 students, said it would begin offering an online learning option for students who do not feel comfortable coming to school. Schools will be closed next week until Thursday to prepare for those accommodations.

Minneapolis Public Schools, which has a similar enrollment, is also offering temporary remote learning. The University of Minnesota will start a new term next week with different options depending on the class.

Madhani reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Rebecca Santana in Washington; and Ed White in Detroit contributed.

Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Law enforcement officers at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A woman covers her face from tear gas as federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester throws back a tear gas canister during a protest after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, second from left, blows a whistle with other activists to warn people of federal immigration officers Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A child and family are escorted away after federal law enforcement deployed tear gas in a neighborhood during protests on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Monica Travis shares an embrace while visiting a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A protester yells in front of law enforcement after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters shout at law enforcement officers after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)