Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the United States is working to determine whether Ukraine and Russia can take steps to reduce tensions during the coming winter, while also trying to revive talks aimed at a broader peace agreement.
Speaking to Axios on Monday, Zelenskyy said the weeks before winter offered an important opportunity for diplomatic initiatives. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin was relying on another devastating winter to weaken Ukraine.
“Russia truly believes that this winter could help them break us,” Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy said Putin needed US President Donald Trump and did not want to upset him, particularly before the US midterm elections. “My feeling is that Putin needs Trump. He does not want to annoy him,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said the Trump administration could pressure Putin to de-escalate even if the Russian president did not want to do so. Asked whether Putin might want to give Trump a diplomatic success before the US elections, Zelenskyy replied: “Yes.”
Zelenskyy met Trump’s two envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in Kyiv on Sunday. It was their first visit to Ukraine since Trump began his second term as president. Kushner and Witkoff had earlier held a three-hour meeting with Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Saturday before travelling to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said the message he received from the US envoys was that “the Russians are ready to talk.” He said he remained doubtful, however, because Russia’s actions on the battlefield and a recent increase in attacks did not demonstrate an intention to compromise.
Zelenskyy said the Moscow visit nevertheless gave him the impression that Putin was prepared to “discuss” various ideas to advance negotiations. US envoys had travelled to Moscow and Kyiv primarily to “unblock” the diplomatic process, Zelenskyy said. He said they had also brought new ideas but declined to disclose details.
Discussions included possible measures to reduce tensions between Russia and Ukraine before and during winter, Zelenskyy said. “There are some ideas regarding energy facilities, grain transport, electricity facilities and oil and gas exports. Russia’s interests and ours are different,” he said.
Asked whether the US initiative involved both restarting peace talks and pursuing arrangements that could allow Ukraine and Russia to get through the coming winter without major escalation, Zelenskyy said that description was “very close to the reality of the discussions.”
“The first goal is to restart talks,” Zelenskyy said. “The second goal is to make the coming winter different from previous winters.”
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during earlier winters had made the war more severe, Zelenskyy said. He said the objective would be to find steps before or during winter “that could bring both sides closer to peace.”
US officials have said they do not know whether it will be possible to address the interests of both Russia and Ukraine before winter. Previous efforts to establish a ceasefire or temporarily halt attacks on energy facilities have failed.
Zelenskyy said the US team would now brief Trump on its discussions before continuing talks with Ukrainian and European officials. The United States is also supporting a separate “winter package” for Ukraine, including air defence systems and energy assistance, Zelenskyy said. “It is not only about missiles. It includes LNG [liquefied natural gas] ... and de-escalation measures,” he said.
Zelenskyy said he believed Putin wanted to inflict enough damage on Ukraine during winter to force Kyiv into further concessions. Moscow was hoping that a major winter offensive and attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure would deliver a “powerful blow” to the country, he said. Ukraine has already compromised as much as it can, Zelenskyy said, adding that any diplomatic process must include security guarantees and an economic assistance package.
Zelenskyy said Russia also faced risks as winter approached and that Ukraine could strike at the Russian economy.
“When they attacked our electricity system, we stopped their ability to sell oil and gas,” he said. Zelenskyy also warned that any disruption to agricultural exports could raise food prices on global markets and create food insecurity.
Ukraine wants to use September and October to restart the diplomatic process, Zelenskyy said. He identified the United Nations General Assembly session in New York later this month as a possible venue for further talks between the United States and Ukraine.
Another trilateral meeting involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia is also possible, Zelenskyy said, although no decision has been made.
“We have this September and October to find a way to talk somehow. Without dialogue ... we will get no result,” Zelenskyy said. “I think President Trump can find a way to make a real start to the negotiation process before the cold winter begins,” he added.
Ukraine must remain militarily strong during any diplomatic process, Zelenskyy said. He claimed Ukraine was now in a better position on the battlefield than before, although it continued to face shortages of air defence systems and sustained Russian drone and missile attacks.
Zelenskyy also called for further US sanctions against Russia as a key tool to increase pressure in negotiations. “Putin needs money. Putin wants money to continue the war,” he said.