Frontlines: Peace feels distant

NewsNation National Correspondent Robert Sherman has found himself on the frontlines of some of the world's biggest stories: from Ukraine to Israel and across the U.S. He shares what he's seeing on the ground.

Peace feels like a distant prospect

This is a somber day in Kyiv.

August 29 marks the day on which Kyiv honors those who have given their lives in the name of Ukrainian independence. President Zelenskyy led ceremonies and met with families in Kyiv throughout the day.

But adding to that palpable emotion on the ground is the mourning that is taking place for the now 25 people, including four children, killed in Thursday morning's attack by Russia. More than 600 drones and missiles were put in the air, with special envoy Keith Kellogg calling it the second-largest attack we've seen since the start of the war.

Peace feels like a distant prospect in this place.

WATCH: Aftermath of Russia's barrage

Yet across the Atlantic, conversations are taking place today between special envoy Steve Witkoff and one of President Zelenskyy's most trusted advisors, Andriy Yermak.

On the docket of conversation: getting Russia and Ukraine into bilateral negotiations and security guarantees for the Ukrainians.

Both are, at face value, tricky. Strikes like the ones we saw Thursday give few here any optimism Russia will come to the negotiating table.

European leaders are feeling the same way. "It is obviously not going to come to a meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Putin," German Chancellor Merz said Thursday.

Europe is especially irate today after the European Union building here in Kyiv, as well as the British Council, took damage from the Thursday blasts.

Speaking to reporters today, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying "Putin does not rule out the possibility of a meeting with Zelenskyy," according to Russian media.

The White House has told my colleague, Libbey Dean, that they remain optimistic that peace and a bilateral agreement between Russia and Ukraine are still on the table.

Then there's the issue of security guarantees. According to the Kyiv Independent, President Zelenskyy outlined to reporters today the three pillars of Ukraine's sought-after guarantees:

Ukrainian armed forces are to maintain their size, strength, and continue to be supplied arms by the West
Agreements with NATO need to be set in stone to support and defend Ukraine from further Russian invasions
More sanctions against Russia and the use of frozen Russian assets to fund post-war reconstruction in Ukraine

Today, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: "We proceed from the fact that the options proposed by the collective West are one-sided, are built with the obvious expectation of containing Russia, and the authors of such ideas are following the path of drawing the Kyiv regime into NATO's orbit."

Russia continues to put forth its position that it needs to be involved in discussing any security guarantees in Ukraine. Western troops on the ground remain a big sticking point.

Next week will mark the end of the "one to two week" timeline President Trump set out for Russia to make a move towards peace. The White House has said further economic sanctions are a possibility, but they are not revealing all the cards they're prepared to play publicly.

There's a joke some Ukrainians tell amongst themselves here. "Fear not, this war will all be over in two to three weeks."

They've been telling that same joke for 3 1/2 years.