Zelenskyy: US Explores Efforts to Ease Winter War Escalation
Istanbul (ANTARA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States is exploring steps to calm the Russia-Ukraine war during winter while reviving negotiations towards a broader peace deal.
According to the news site Axios on Monday (7/9), Zelenskyy said the coming period could present an opportunity for diplomacy, reasoning that Russian President Vladimir Putin may want to avoid actions that could provoke the anger of US President Donald Trump ahead of the US midterm elections.
“My instinct is that Putin needs Trump. He does not want… to make him angry,” he said.
When asked whether Putin might seek to deliver a diplomatic achievement for Trump before the elections, Zelenskyy answered: “Yes.”
Zelenskyy met on Sunday (6/9) in Kyiv with Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, following their three-hour meeting with Putin in Moscow.
He said they conveyed the message that “the Russian side is ready to negotiate,” though he also noted that Russia’s actions on the battlefield and its increasingly intensive attacks show no willingness to compromise.
Nevertheless, he understood that Putin is “ready to discuss” ideas aimed at advancing the negotiations.
Zelenskyy said the US team went to Moscow and returned with proposals, including steps that might be taken to ease tensions ahead of and during winter.
“There are ideas around energy facilities and grain shipments, around electricity and oil and gas exports. Russia and we have different interests,” said Zelenskyy.
He said the emerging US approach appears to include efforts to restart negotiations while seeking arrangements that could prevent major escalation during winter; he called that interpretation “very close to the reality of these talks.”
The aim, he said, is to identify steps “that can bring both sides closer to peace.”
Zelenskyy said Washington also supports a separate winter aid package for Ukraine that includes air defence and energy support.
“This is not only about missiles. It is also about LNG (liquefied natural gas)… and also about de-escalation measures,” he said.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv wants to use September and October to revive diplomacy, with the UN General Assembly in New York in late September potentially offering an opportunity for further discussions between the US and Ukraine.
He also said a trilateral meeting between the US, Ukraine, and Russia remains possible.
“We have the months of September and October to find ways to communicate. Without dialogue… we will not achieve anything,” he said.
“In my view, President Trump could find a way to truly start the negotiation process before the harsh winter arrives,” he added.
Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine must remain militarily strong while the diplomatic process unfolds, and he called on the US to impose additional sanctions on Russia.
“Putin needs money. Putin wants money to continue the war,” he said.