US exploring steps to de-escalate Russia-Ukraine war this winter: Zelenskyy

Berk Kutay Gokmen

The US is exploring possible steps for Ukraine and Russia to de-escalate the war during the winter while restarting negotiations toward a broader peace agreement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Axios news site Monday.

Zelenskyy said the weeks ahead could provide an opportunity for diplomacy, arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be seeking to avoid antagonizing US President Donald Trump ahead of US midterm elections.

“My feeling (is) that Putin needs Trump,” he said. “He doesn’t want … to upset him.”

Asked whether Putin might seek to give Trump a diplomatic achievement before the elections, Zelenskyy replied: “Yeah.”

Zelenskyy met Sunday in Kyiv with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner following their three-hour meeting with Putin in Moscow.

He said they conveyed that “the Russians are ready to negotiate,” while noting, however, that Russia’s battlefield actions and intensified attacks do not indicate a willingness to compromise.

Still, he said his understanding was that Putin is “ready to discuss” ideas aimed at advancing negotiations.

Zelenskyy said the US team traveled to Moscow and Kyiv primarily to “unblock” the diplomatic process and brought new proposals, including possible measures to reduce tensions ahead of and during winter.

“There are ideas around energy (facilities) and around grain (shipments), around electricity (facilities) and around oil and gas (exports). We have different interests, Russia and we,” Zelenskyy said.

He said the emerging US approach appeared to involve both restarting negotiations and finding arrangements that could prevent a major escalation during winter, calling that interpretation “very close to the reality of these conversations.”

The aim, he said, would be to identify steps “which can bring (the) sides closer to peace.”

Zelenskyy said Washington also supports a separate winter assistance package for Ukraine involving air defense and energy support.

“It’s not only about missiles,” he said. “It’s also about LNG (liquefied natural gas) … and it’s also about steps of de-escalation.”

Zelenskyy said Kyiv wants to use September and October to revive diplomacy, with the UN General Assembly in New York later this month potentially providing an opportunity for further US-Ukraine discussions. He also said another trilateral US-Ukraine-Russia meeting remained possible.

“We have this September, October to find any way to speak,” he said. “Without dialogue … we will not have (a) result.”

“I think that President Trump can find a way to (a) real beginning of the process of negotiating before (the) cold winter,” he added.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine would need to remain militarily strong during any diplomatic process and called for additional US sanctions on Russia.

“Putin needs money,” he said. “Putin wants money to continue the war.”