Russia believes talks with Ukraine and the USA are possible in the fall

Russia believes new tripartite talks with Ukraine and the USA on the Ukrainian war are possible this fall. "We do not rule out such a possibility," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Sunday, according to Russian news agencies. He added: "We can't rule out October." It's about the "foreseeable future."

At the beginning of the week, Russia had already shown itself open to resuming joint talks with Ukraine and the USA. But it was still too early to talk about a possible location or exact dates, Peskov said on Monday. The two US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff had previously traveled to Russia and Ukraine to present new proposals to both sides for ending the conflict.

According to SPIEGEL information, talks between Ukraine and Russia could take place in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Several diplomats involved in the preliminary talks said that Russian President Putin had shown readiness for a new attempt at serious negotiations at the meeting with US emissaries Witkoff and Kushner. The respective security advisors from Moscow and Kyiv, together with representatives from Great Britain, France and Germany, could explore whether a new attempt makes sense.

Kushner and Witkoff reported to Ukrainian President Zelensky about the talks in Moscow, and Putin had indicated that he might move away from previous positions. It was said that Putin no longer insists that Ukraine cede the entire Donbass in eastern Ukraine to Russia before peace talks. Moscow had previously cited this as a prerequisite for new talks. Ukraine categorically rejects this. The territory is Ukrainian territory, is controlled by the Ukrainian military and includes extensive defensive positions.

Peskov ruled out a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj at the G20 summit in December in the USA on Saturday. Such a meeting could only take place in the Russian capital, he said.

In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Zelensky had agreed to meet with Putin in Miami. Russia has been waging a large-scale offensive in Ukraine since February 2022. The Ukrainian army responds with attacks on targets in Russia.