"Now, the signals coming from Russia are simply outrageous," Zelensky wrote on X. "They are trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting. They don’t want to end this war. They continue their massive attacks on Ukraine and their ferocious assaults along the frontline."
The remarks came after Russia on Thursday launched a massive attack on Ukraine that struck an American-owned electronics factory. Officials said the barrage included more than 600 drones and missiles across the country, in what Zelensky called an "anti-record."
Trump posted a cryptic message later in the day, raising the prospect of Ukrainian attacks into Russia and predicting "interesting times ahead."
The U.S. president on Monday indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin was open to a meeting with Zelensky, but Russia has since sought to slow-walk the process.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking to reporters Thursday, said Putin was "ready" for a meeting with Zelensky, but only if unspecific conditions were met.
Lavrov also questioned Zelensky's "legitimacy" in such talks and railed against NATO discussions about post-war security guarantees for Ukraine.
"All the different [ideas], all the unilateral [moves] are an absolutely hopeless venture,” Lavrov said, according to Reuters. “As the current discussions between the West and the Ukrainian side are essentially linked to providing guarantees in the form of the foreign military intervention of a certain part of the Ukrainian territory."
Russian officials said earlier this week that any top-level talks between Putin and Zelensky would require layers of lower-level preparations.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff claimed that Putin had agreed to NATO-like protections for Ukraine during previous talks. However, Lavrov and other Russian officials have made no such indication in public remarks this week.
Trump dropped his demands for a ceasefire in Ukraine after a meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday, insisting the two sides were making progress toward a peace deal and suggesting Putin and Zelensky could meet within days.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday said the president had canceled his August vacation to his Bedminster resort to work on talks to end the war.
“He’s a man on a mission. He wants to move. Get things done quickly,” Leavitt said. “He wants to strike when the iron is hot.”
