Zelensky hopes to receive Trump's envoys in Kyiv to resume peace negotiations with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he hopes to receive US President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in Kiev in the coming days, to resume efforts aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In turn, the official Russian news agency TASS said that the American envoys, who are seeking to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, will visit the two countries on Saturday and Sunday. The agency did not reveal its source.

However, the return of talk about a new American tour between Moscow and Kiev coincides with a paradox that cannot be ignored. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks of a “chance” for peace, while his forces continue to expand their air attacks and threaten to strike Ukrainian energy networks in the winter.

On the other hand, Washington declares its commitment to ending the war, but Treasury Secretary Scott Besent holds the Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities partly responsible for the rise in energy prices. Therefore, the visit of Witkopf and Kushner, if it takes place, appears to be an attempt to restart a stalled channel, not a ready-made breakthrough. The Trump administration is moving under the pressure of the Iran war, a shortage in some of its stocks of defensive and offensive missiles, and electorally sensitive fuel prices, while Russia and Ukraine are seeking to improve their negotiating cards on the ground before returning to negotiations.

An unscheduled visit

In his video evening speech, Zelensky spoke of “initial dates that have been set,” and that his team had received confirmation from Trump’s envoys, anticipating meetings with them in Moscow and Kiev in the coming days. However, the Kremlin declined to confirm the date, while no official American position was issued. Reuters quoted an informed source as saying that the Kiev visit is still under discussion, while Moscow is trying not to include it. The two American envoys participated in shuttle diplomacy efforts between Russia and Ukraine, and visited Moscow several times, without visiting Kiev.

Observers believe that, in light of this atmosphere, the mediation being prepared cannot be considered final, because it is being resumed after losing momentum since the last round last February, and the Trump administration’s plunge into the war with Iran. Their visit to Kiev will be a test of whether they will listen to both sides, after their repeated visits to Moscow raised European and Ukrainian doubts and objections about the neutrality of American mediation.

However, resuming mediation may not mean that the gap between the parties has been resolved. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Putin’s statements, in which he said that his stated conditions were “unwavering.” Ukraine completely cedes the four provinces occupied by Russia, including the territories it was unable to control, and abandons efforts to join NATO, which Kiev considers a surrender.

Step up to gain cards

However, talk about renewed diplomatic activity coincides with the expansion of fighting on the fronts and in the depths of the two countries. The Ukrainian Army Staff reported that there were 240 clashes on Thursday, centered around Pokrovsk, Kostyantinivka, and the southern Sloboganshchyna axis. The Air Force reported that, on the night of Thursday-Friday, Russia launched a KH-31B missile and 121 drones, including advanced jet drones, shooting down or disabling the defenses of 103 of them. The Associated Press reported that at least three people were killed in Odessa and Dnipro, and others were injured in a residential building in Kiev. The World Health Organization also announced that one of its main warehouses designated for medical supplies in Kiev had been infected, without recording any infections among its employees.

On the other hand, there were reports of Ukrainian marches hitting oil depots in Sochi and the Sirius region on the Black Sea, and a fire breaking out near an air defense site. The operation comes within the framework of a broader campaign to target Russian refineries, fuel stores, commercial warehouses, and airports, with the aim of reducing war revenues and transferring its costs to the Russian interior.

Moscow is using its superiority in missiles and drones to strike Ukrainian cities, ports, and energy centers, in light of a shortage of defense means, especially Patriot missiles, to force Kiev to enter the winter season under great economic and humanitarian pressure.

However, this escalation does not mean that the two parties are not seeking to negotiate, but rather that they are trying to improve their terms. But the impact of this escalation has begun to reach global markets. US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent told Fox News that the world is facing what he called an energy shock, due to the Iran war, but also because of Ukraine's strike on Russian oil assets and refining products. His words came after his meeting with Russian Finance Minister, Anton Siluanov, on the sidelines of the meeting of finance ministers and leaders of G20 banks, which was held in North Carolina at the beginning of the week, in the first meeting attended by a Russian official since 2022, amid European objections.

According to Reuters, Besant's position carried a double message, as he informed Siluanov that there would be no easing of economic sanctions, and no new agreements before the end of the war. This suggests a policy that combines openness to dialogue and maintaining sanctions, with implicit pressure on Kiev to take into account the impact of its strikes on energy markets. Although Besant did not make a clear request to stop these attacks, it reflects American concern about the impact of rising prices on the midterm elections.

A drone strikes the headquarters of the Ukrainian Security Service

On the other hand, Zelensky announced on Friday that a Russian drone had hit the headquarters of the Ukrainian Security Service in Kiev.

A photo, published by the Ukrynska Pravda news website, showed what appeared to be black smoke rising from at least two windows on the front of the building, while a fire engine was parked outside.

Zelensky wrote, via the Telegram application: “I spoke with the head of the Ukrainian Security Service, Oleksandr Poklad. Unfortunately, a Russian drone hit the agency’s main building on Volodymyrska Street in Kiev, opposite St. Sophia Cathedral.” He added that the plane was targeting the office of the head of the agency “directly.”

An armed confrontation between two Ukrainian security services

On the other hand, the Ukrainian president criticized his country's security services after an exchange of fire between members of two security services in Kiev this week, threatening to dismiss senior officials. On Wednesday, an armed confrontation broke out in the capital between members of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence (GOR) and the Ukrainian Security Service (SBO), resulting in the injury of a number of them. The exchange of fire took place in broad daylight. “Both agencies must be held accountable,” Zelensky said on Thursday. "Both of them behaved in a completely unacceptable manner."

He explained that two security officials, one from each agency, are considered suspects, while the investigation is still ongoing. He added: “It is important to uncover the truth and ensure that such incidents are not repeated.”

Hello on any terms!

While the Russian rhetoric continues to use less stringent expressions, analysts see it as an attempt to show Moscow as a party open to diplomacy and an attempt to involve China, America and other countries, while continuing to hold what it described as the “Ukrainian adventure” responsible for the continuation of the war. It is a narrative that goes beyond the fact that it was Russia that seized Crimea, ignited the war in the Donbass region in 2014, and then carried out its comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Putin’s declaration of his readiness to negotiate does not mean his acceptance of amending his goals, and what he is offering now is nothing more than Kiev offering concessions.

Therefore, some believe that the real test of Witkopf and Kushner's tour, if it takes place, is what they will bring. Will they propose a mutual cessation of attacks on energy facilities, infrastructure, and ports, enforceable security guarantees, and a schedule linking the reduction of sanctions in conjunction with Russian withdrawals and commitments, or will they focus on reducing only Ukrainian attacks that raise energy prices? If their pressure is balanced, the visit may lead to stopping the escalation and opening a negotiating path, albeit slowly.