Zelenskyy stated the talks were a serious attempt to 'reinvigorate diplomacy' and move closer to peace. 'Peace with dignity' is what Ukraine has been ready for, he said, though the path to it remains unclear.
The meeting came in the wake of Ukrainian strikes against Russian logistics sites. Among them was Wildberries — the nation’s largest online retailer and frequently dubbed 'Russia’s Amazon.' The company’s warehouses in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk were hit, with at least one person killed and several injured.
The role of Wildberries in Ukraine's strategy
Wildberries CEO Tatyana Kim confirmed the targeting of two of the firm’s facilities. Smoke was visible over the Krasnodar site, and both facilities had been evacuated. Kim expressed grief over the attack, noting that employees had been caught in the crossfire.
Zelenskyy did not name Wildberries in his public statement but described the strikes as targeting key logistical hubs and an oil depot. He emphasized the long-range nature of the strikes, which reached deep into Krasnodar and Stavropol — key regions in Russia’s southern logistics belt.
The attacks on Wildberries followed the deaths of eight employees in strikes on similar facilities just days before, compounding the pressure on companies Kyiv accuses of supporting the Russian war effort, either directly or through infrastructure.
A broader economic escalation
According to the Russian Association of Internet Trade Companies, online sales in Russia hit 11.5 trillion rubles ($147 billion) in 2025 — up 28% from 2024. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak cited digital platform sales as accounting for roughly 8.5% of Russia’s GDP, making such companies like Wildberries a symbolic and strategic target.
The attacks signal a shift in Ukrainian strategy, expanding from military and energy infrastructure to the broader economic supply lines feeding the Russian war machine. Alongside the strikes on logistics sites, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces reported hitting 13 Russian vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov over the previous 48 hours.
Diplomatic overture or tactical distraction?
While Kyiv’s military and intelligence forces are deepening their campaign inside Russia, Zelenskyy turned to diplomacy. His outreach to Trump envoys — and by extension, the possibility of a Trump administration — suggests an effort to widen the space for negotiation, even as the war on the ground intensifies.
Witkoff and Kushner have long served as unofficial mediators for Trump, including on the issue of Ukrainian peace talks. Whether this meeting marks a genuine pivot toward peace remains unconfirmed, but the fact of the conversation has been stated clearly by Zelenskyy.
For now, the combination of economic strikes, Black Sea operations, and diplomatic engagement suggests Ukraine is operating on multiple fronts — a strategy that, if sustained, could complicate Russia’s control of the narrative and the battlefield.