US Seeks Renewed Ukraine-Russia Talks Amid Escalating War

The United States is seeking to restart trilateral ceasefire talks with Russia and Ukraine, and both Kyiv and Moscow have confirmed that discussions may resume. The earlier US-led effort to broker an end to the four-and-a-half-year war stalled amid Washington’s war on Iran. Ukraine says the US has proposed technical-level talks and suggested the United Arab Emirates as a possible venue, but a date has not been set. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a meeting could happen soon while saying there were no further details. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner recently visited both countries, and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev reportedly met them in the United States. The Kremlin described the latter discussions as focused on potential economic cooperation. The article notes criticism that Washington’s previous approach favored Russia’s position. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede occupied territory, demilitarize, and abandon its aspirations to join NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Donald Trump told him Ukraine would be allowed to produce advanced Patriot air-defence missiles, although approval has been delayed and any new systems would take more than a year to enter service. Zelenskyy urged stronger pressure on Russia through US and European sanctions. Kyiv is also seeking faster EU budget support, warning it could run short of missiles and drones early next year. Meanwhile, both sides continue nightly attacks. A Russian strike on Kyiv killed a 14-year-old boy and injured at least seven people; strikes in Odesa killed one person and injured another. Russia reported destroying about 50 Ukrainian drones over Rostov and said an attack damaged the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, forcing it to halt operations. Ukraine has also struck Russian refineries and reported other attacks, including in the Black Sea. Zelenskyy said he had discussed efforts to restore shipping in the Black Sea with India, Türkiye, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern countries, as Russia has targeted cargo vessels.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US President Donald Trump had made a “final decision” to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot air defence missiles. Zelensky said Trump gave the assurance during their most recent meeting, ending months of uncertainty after Trump had first expressed interest in the idea and later urged caution. Ukraine is short of Patriot interceptors, which the article describes as the only missiles reliably capable of countering Russia’s ballistic attacks. The shortage has worsened since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran in February, diverting supplies of the advanced systems. Even if the licences are approved, Ukraine would need more than a year to establish production capacity, so the plan would not address its immediate needs. Kyiv is seeking urgent assistance before winter, when it fears renewed Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. Zelensky said Ukraine needs five percent of US Patriot interceptors to get through winter and 10 percent to destroy all Russian ballistic projectiles. He also said Ukraine is developing its own anti-ballistic system, called Freya. The article also reports diplomatic and military developments. The Kremlin said a US-Russia-Ukraine meeting on ending the four-and-a-half-year conflict could happen soon; Zelensky said it might take place in the United Arab Emirates at a technical level. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev was in the United States discussing potential economic cooperation with US negotiators. Separately, Zelensky said Ukraine had struck two Russian oil refineries, in Bashkortostan and the Samara region, as well as unspecified targets in the Black Sea. Russian officials reported deaths in overnight Ukrainian drone attacks, while Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences had destroyed 592 drones. Officials also reported fatalities in Belgorod and Perm regions.

The United States has proposed that the United Arab Emirates host a technical-level trilateral meeting with Ukraine and Russia to discuss ending the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 25. The date has not been set; Zelensky said Ukraine is waiting for a proposal from Washington and that the US suggested the Emirates as a possible venue. Zelensky met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier in the week. They discussed ways to end the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian and US negotiators subsequently discussed specific details. Zelensky said Ukraine would share and discuss those details with European partners, while the Americans would speak with Russia. He expected the parties to return to the matter in about 10 days, potentially with a new perspective or a result. The Kremlin said a meeting involving Ukraine and the United States could take place soon. Zelensky also said he had asked Trump to raise the war with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was visiting the United States. Zelensky was awaiting feedback from the US team, particularly on measures to de-escalate the conflict before winter. Separately, Zelensky warned European partners that Russia would continue hybrid attacks against them and said Ukraine had offered assistance. The Kremlin has denied responsibility for sabotage incidents in European countries in recent months.