Zelensky Claims Russia Is Ready to Negotiate

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia has shown a readiness to negotiate towards resolving the conflict in talks with the United States’ envoys.

Last weekend’s visits to Moscow and Kyiv by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner marked Washington’s latest effort to break the diplomatic deadlock in the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.

Citing the AFP news agency on Tuesday (8/9/2026), Witkoff praised the progress made in the meetings and raised the prospect of reviving three-party peace talks to end the four-year Russia-Ukraine war.

Zelensky told the US news outlet Axios that the United States is pushing to calm the conflict ahead of a long winter.

Zelensky said the US envoys, who held separate talks with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders, told him that “Russia is ready to negotiate”.

“Russia truly believes that this winter can help them to destroy us,” he told Axios.

However, the administration of US President Donald Trump could pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease tensions, he added, and Putin “does not want” to “anger” Trump, according to Zelensky.

Zelensky said last weekend’s talks covered US proposals concerning energy facilities, grain shipments, and oil and gas exports, but he declined to give further details.

The Ukrainian leader said the US approach aimed to continue negotiations between the warring countries and ensure that the coming winter differs from the previous one.

The goal, Zelensky said, is to make progress before or during the winter to “bring the two sides closer to peace”.