Zelenskyy told the American delegation that the Russia-Ukraine war could drag on into the winter, expresses hope for an agreement | Today’s news

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Kyiv on Sunday (local time) and expressed hope that a deal with the US was likely, but expected the Russia-Ukraine war to drag on into the winter.

After the meeting with Witkoff and Kushner, Zelenskyy wrote in a series of posts on X: “We hope to reach an agreement with our American partners in this area, and we hope for the support of our European partners. If the war continues into the winter, we count heavily on the winter package, which I discussed in detail today with Steve, Jared and our European partners. We also count on a significant amount of air defense and LNG support for the US sector aviation and energy. the ability to use them.”

Quick answers to key questions

•5 QUESTIONS

Zelenskyy discussed hopes for a potential deal with the US, expected the war to continue into the winter and stressed the need for support in the air defense and energy sectors.

Zelenskyy expressed this concern after talks with US envoys, hinting at a bleak outlook amid ongoing negotiations and challenging battlefield dynamics.

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting with Ukrainian and Russian leaders to resume talks and explore options for a solution.

Yes, Zelenskyy emphasized the winter package from the allies, aimed at strengthening air defense and energy support, especially American LNG.

The meeting resulted in positive discussions about mediation efforts, recognition of the need for compromise and the potential for substantive future negotiations.

Zelenskyy praises the efforts of American envoys

Zelenskyy praised the efforts of US envoys, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in Moscow on September 5, to resume talks between Moscow and Kiev as the war drags into its fifth year. Zelenskyy praised Witkoff and Kushner, writing: “I want to acknowledge the role of Steve and Jared in restarting the negotiation process today. It is important that the American team met with the head of Russia and today with me, and that we discussed all options. We had trilateral negotiations with the participation of Europeans, as well as a meeting of national security advisers, and I think we will resume these negotiations.”

Separately, Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine is conducting further negotiations with British, German and French representatives. Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy said: “We expect one session of our talks, and then there will be another session with the European NSAs (national security advisers).”

American envoys are calling for a compromise

It was the first visit to Kiev for Witkoff and Kushner, who described the talks positively but did not announce any breakthrough towards ending the war with Russia.

Steve Witkoff said a compromise would have to come from both sides, adding: “We think we have the ingredients to get there,” Euronews reported.

Read also | US envoys Witkoff and Kushner meet with Putin to discuss ending Russia-Ukraine war

Witkoff highlighted the positive talks with both sides over the weekend, going on to say, “We had a very meaningful discussion, substantive, important, and we’re very encouraged and look forward to continuing that as long as it lasts.” Kushner, who accompanied Witkoff, noted, “We hope this trip has brought some new ways to move forward. I think we’ve learned a lot from the trip.”

Witkoff, Kushner to meet with Putin

On September 5, US envoys met with Putin in the Kremlin and called on both sides to resume talks that had been suspended six months earlier. During the three-hour meeting, Putin told Witkoff and Kushner that he had “full confidence” in Washington’s mediation efforts between Moscow and Kyiv.

Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, told Russian reporters that Witkoff and Kushner “made serious preparations for this trip. Not only did they express their traditional interest in a quick end to the fighting, but they also formulated a number of ideas about possible ways of resolution.”

After the talks, Putin’s foreign policy adviser noted that the discussions were “substantial, constructive, exceptionally frank and conducted in a spirit of trust.” He added: “The Russian side provided a clear and comprehensive assessment of the situation developing during the special military operation.”

However, it remains to be seen whether Moscow will agree to resume negotiations.