Witkoff and Kushner Assured Zelensky That Putin Is Ready for Negotiations
After meeting with Donald Trump's special representatives, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in an interview with Axios that he received a message from them about Russia's readiness to return to negotiations.
On September 6 in Kyiv, Zelensky met with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The day before, they held a meeting in Moscow with Vladimir Putin.
According to Zelensky, the American representatives conveyed that the Russian side is ready to discuss the further advancement of the negotiation process.
However, the Ukrainian president remains skeptical about this, as Russia's actions on the front and intensified attacks do not look like preparations for a compromise.
At the same time, after talks with Witkoff and Kushner, Zelensky concluded that Putin is ready to discuss certain ideas that could help unblock the negotiation process.
He also said that the American representatives brought several new proposals. Some of them concerned possible steps to de-escalate tensions between Russia and Ukraine before and during winter. Among the topics discussed are energy infrastructure, grain supplies, electricity, as well as oil and gas.
Zelensky confirmed that the American approach involves the simultaneous resumption of negotiations and the search for agreements that would allow them to get through winter without a new serious escalation. The goal, he said, is to find measures capable of bringing the parties closer to peace.
In addition, the USA supports the creation of a separate "winter package" of aid for Ukraine. It is planned to include support for air defense and the energy sector, as well as supplies of liquefied natural gas and possible de-escalation steps.
Meanwhile, a source in the Élysée Palace informed "European Pravda" that Putin, according to their information, may be ready to start a new phase of peace negotiations after the parliamentary elections in Russia, which will take place on September 18-20.
After the meeting in Kyiv, representatives of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, together with their Ukrainian counterparts, also agreed to prepare conditions and proposals for subsequent negotiations with Russia in the coming weeks.
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