Kyiv Sept. 08 (SANA) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has expressed readiness to resume negotiations over the war in Ukraine, while the United States is putting forward ideas aimed at de-escalating the situation before or during the winter.
In an interview with the U.S. website Axios, Zelensky said U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told him, following their recent talks in Moscow, that the Russian side was ready to negotiate and discuss ideas that could move the negotiating process forward.
Zelensky said Washington had put forward several proposals involving possible steps to de-escalate the situation before and during the winter. The proposals include issues related to energy and electricity facilities, grain shipments, as well as oil and gas exports.
Witkoff and Kushner, U.S. special envoys, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday before traveling to Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Zelensky, with European representatives participating in the discussions.
Witkoff said Monday that his latest diplomatic tour had produced “substantial progress” toward arranging additional trilateral talks aimed at ending the war. Current reports said the U.S. envoys were seeking to revive negotiations between Russia and Ukraine after months of stalled diplomacy.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia did not rule out resuming trilateral negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States, but said it was too early to discuss their venue or dates. He also said the Kremlin did not rule out a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine have stalled in recent months amid continuing differences between Moscow and Kyiv over a number of issues, foremost among them territory and security arrangements. Current reporting indicates that territorial questions remain a major obstacle to an agreement.
T.S /Ruaa
