War in Ukraine: Zelensky calls for trilateral meeting with Russia and the United States

Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Here is the gist of this Tuesday, September 8, 2026, on the 1,658th day of the conflict.

Fact of the day

The prospect of a resumption of diplomatic discussions is becoming clearer as fighting continues in Ukraine. This Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that he would like a meeting to be held in September involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States, after trips to Moscow and kyiv by American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

This opening comes the day after the end of a three-day pause in Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital. Strikes on kyiv left at least two dead and seven injured during the night from Monday to Tuesday, according to local military authorities. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriï Sybiga denounced a “massive and horrible attack against kyiv” and estimated that Russian “ballistic missiles” spoke “more than his speeches on diplomacy”.

Today's statement

“We will all work to prepare and facilitate the holding of a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia and the United States. If all parties agree, we would also like it to take place this fall, perhaps as early as September. The sooner the better. »

The Ukrainian president believes that Moscow has therefore sent signals of openness to American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. In an interview with Axios, he affirmed that the Kremlin had shown itself “ready to discuss” and raised the possibility of “de-escalation” this winter.

Among the avenues put forward by Washington are energy, cereals, electricity as well as oil and gas. Volodymyr Zelensky also hopes to meet Donald Trump after September 20 to discuss deliveries of American interceptors intended to strengthen Ukraine's defense against Russian ballistic missiles.

The number of the day

90. This is the amount in billions of euros of the loan granted to Ukraine by the member states of the European Union, part of which can now be used to purchase interceptors for the Patriot air defense systems. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen welcomed “the agreement of member states on the exemption granted to Ukraine to purchase crucial equipment for the Patriot air defense systems”.

Furthermore, Germany announced the sending of Patriot missiles from Bundeswehr stocks, without specifying their number or the delivery schedule. The United Kingdom, for its part, plans to release 100 million pounds, or 116.5 million euros, in order to provide air defense assets to kyiv, including Patriot missiles, before winter.

The trend

However, on the diplomatic and military levels, the signals remain contradictory. While kyiv is banking on a Ukraine-Russia-United States meeting in September, Russia has resumed its strikes on the Ukrainian capital. At the same time, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was reconnected to the electricity grid after almost three weeks of operation thanks to diesel reserves. A truce negotiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency made it possible to repair the only power line still in service supplying the site.