Zelenskyy: US considers winter de-escalation between Ukraine and Russia
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
The United States is examining whether Ukraine and Russia can take steps to de-escalate the war over the winter while also resuming negotiations on a broader peace agreement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Axios.
Winter de-escalation
Zelenskyy believes that the weeks leading up to winter offer a window for diplomacy. However, the president believes Russian leader Vladimir Putin is counting on another harsh winter to weaken Ukraine.
Zelenskyy is confident that even if Putin does not want de-escalation, the United States is capable of putting pressure on him.
Following his meeting in Kyiv with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president received the message that the Russian side is ready for negotiations.
New ideas
Witkoff and Kushner also brought some new ideas, Zelenskyy said. He declined to disclose all the details to the outlet. However, some of the discussions concerned potential de-escalation steps by Russia and Ukraine before and during the winter.
"There are ideas around energy (facilities - ed.) and around grain (shipments - ed.), around electricity (facilities - ed.) and around oil and gas (exports - ed.). We have different interests, Russia and we," Zelenskyy said.
He noted that the new US approach — resuming negotiations and trying to reach agreements that would allow Ukraine and Russia to get through the winter without a major escalation — is "very close to the reality of these conversations".
According to Zelenskyy, the goal will be to find steps before or during the winter "which can bring the sides closer to peace."
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that following meetings in Moscow and Kyiv, the US side reported progress in the peace process and in coordinating a schedule for the next round of negotiations.
It was also reported that on September 6, US presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spent the day in Kyiv. The US delegation met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian negotiating team, and European representatives.
