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Zelenskyy Says US Exploring Winter De-escalation Steps With Russia
(MENAFN) The United States is weighing possible steps to help Ukraine and Russia de-escalate fighting through the winter while relaunching talks on a broader peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told media on Monday.
Zelenskyy said the coming weeks could open a window for diplomacy, suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin may want to avoid antagonizing US President Donald Trump ahead of the American midterm elections.
"My feeling (is) that Putin needs Trump," he said. "He doesn't want ... to upset him."
Asked whether Putin might try to hand Trump a diplomatic win before the vote, Zelenskyy replied: "Yeah."
Zelenskyy met Sunday in Kyiv with Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, shortly after their three-hour meeting with Putin in Moscow. He said the envoys relayed that "the Russians are ready to negotiate," though he cautioned that Russia's continued battlefield actions and intensified strikes don't reflect genuine willingness to compromise.
Even so, he said his understanding is that Putin is "ready to discuss" ideas that could move negotiations forward.
Zelenskyy said the US delegation's trip to Moscow and Kyiv was primarily meant to "unblock" the diplomatic process, and that they arrived with new proposals — including possible measures to ease tensions heading into and through the winter.
"There are ideas around energy (facilities) and around grain (shipments), around electricity (facilities) and around oil and gas (exports). We have different interests, Russia and we," Zelenskyy said.
He said the emerging US strategy appears to combine restarting negotiations with finding arrangements to prevent a major escalation over the winter, calling that read "very close to the reality of these conversations." The goal, he said, would be identifying steps "which can bring (the) sides closer to peace."
Zelenskyy said Washington is also backing a separate winter aid package for Ukraine covering air defense and energy support.
"It's not only about missiles," he said. "It's also about LNG (liquefied natural gas) ... and it's also about steps of de-escalation."
Zelenskyy said Kyiv intends to use September and October to push diplomacy forward, with the UN General Assembly session in New York later this month offering a potential venue for further US-Ukraine talks. He added that another trilateral US-Ukraine-Russia meeting remains possible.
"We have this September, October to find any way to speak," he said. "Without dialogue … we will not have (a) result."
"I think that President Trump can find a way to (a) real beginning of the process of negotiating before (the) cold winter," he added.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine must stay militarily strong throughout any diplomatic process and renewed his call for additional US sanctions on Russia.
"Putin needs money," he said. "Putin wants money to continue the war."
Zelenskyy said the coming weeks could open a window for diplomacy, suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin may want to avoid antagonizing US President Donald Trump ahead of the American midterm elections.
"My feeling (is) that Putin needs Trump," he said. "He doesn't want ... to upset him."
Asked whether Putin might try to hand Trump a diplomatic win before the vote, Zelenskyy replied: "Yeah."
Zelenskyy met Sunday in Kyiv with Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, shortly after their three-hour meeting with Putin in Moscow. He said the envoys relayed that "the Russians are ready to negotiate," though he cautioned that Russia's continued battlefield actions and intensified strikes don't reflect genuine willingness to compromise.
Even so, he said his understanding is that Putin is "ready to discuss" ideas that could move negotiations forward.
Zelenskyy said the US delegation's trip to Moscow and Kyiv was primarily meant to "unblock" the diplomatic process, and that they arrived with new proposals — including possible measures to ease tensions heading into and through the winter.
"There are ideas around energy (facilities) and around grain (shipments), around electricity (facilities) and around oil and gas (exports). We have different interests, Russia and we," Zelenskyy said.
He said the emerging US strategy appears to combine restarting negotiations with finding arrangements to prevent a major escalation over the winter, calling that read "very close to the reality of these conversations." The goal, he said, would be identifying steps "which can bring (the) sides closer to peace."
Zelenskyy said Washington is also backing a separate winter aid package for Ukraine covering air defense and energy support.
"It's not only about missiles," he said. "It's also about LNG (liquefied natural gas) ... and it's also about steps of de-escalation."
Zelenskyy said Kyiv intends to use September and October to push diplomacy forward, with the UN General Assembly session in New York later this month offering a potential venue for further US-Ukraine talks. He added that another trilateral US-Ukraine-Russia meeting remains possible.
"We have this September, October to find any way to speak," he said. "Without dialogue … we will not have (a) result."
"I think that President Trump can find a way to (a) real beginning of the process of negotiating before (the) cold winter," he added.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine must stay militarily strong throughout any diplomatic process and renewed his call for additional US sanctions on Russia.
"Putin needs money," he said. "Putin wants money to continue the war."
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