Italian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets Vladimir Putin in Rome on Monday for a Phone-Call to End the War in Ukraine

After his election, the man has expressed a desire to end the war. Last week, he called for a lasting peace in the country and all prisoners of war to be freed. He said that children should be with their families. Many Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia against the wishes of their family since the war began, even though he did not specify which children.

The search for peace in Ukraine has gathered pace in recent weeks. The sides held their first direct talks in Turkey on Friday and then agreed on a prisoner exchange.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with top U.S. officials and European leaders in Rome on Sunday, part of stepped-up diplomatic efforts ahead of a high-stakes phone call Monday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine.

Friedrich Merz told reporters in Rome that he had spoken to Mr. Rubio, as well as Mr. Trump, about the upcoming phone calls. Mr. Merz told reporters that the leaders would like to speak to Mr. Trump before the call.

Both Europeans and Americans are determined to work together in a focused manner to end the war soon, as my impression is that they are, said Mr. Merz.

The Prime Minister of Canada and the president of Switzerland were in Rome with Mr. Zelensky to discuss how to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.

The intensified diplomacy came as Russia launched its largest drone barrage against Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years failed to yield a ceasefire.

Zelenskyy’s offer to meet face-to-face with Putin in Turkey was rejected after he himself proposed direct negotiations instead of a 30-day ceasefire called for by the U.S. and other countries.

UAF strikes on the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions: the largest drone attack since the start of the Ukrainian invasion

Russia fired a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday. A total of 128 were lost and most of them were probably electronically jammed. The attacks targeted the country’s Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions.

Yuriy Ihnat, Head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force, told The Associated Press that the barrage was the biggest drone attack since the start of the full-scale invasion.

A woman was killed and three people, including a child, were wounded in a drone attack on the region.