Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the war between Russia and Ukraine is likely to continue into the winter, based on the current situation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the war between Russia and Ukraine is likely to continue into the winter, based on the current situation. He made the remarks after talks in Kyiv with U.S. peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Zelensky said Ukraine hoped to reach agreements with its American partners. However, if the war continues into the winter, Kyiv will also look to its European partners for continued support, adding that the current situation appears to be heading in that direction.
Steve Witkoff said both sides would have to make compromises to bring the war to an end. The U.S. representatives described their talks in Kyiv as positive, but announced no concrete breakthrough toward ending the conflict.
Witkoff said the parties have the necessary elements to reach an agreement. He described the discussions as highly meaningful, important and comprehensive, and said the U.S. delegation remained committed to continuing the process. Jared Kushner also expressed hope that the visit would help identify new ways to move the negotiations forward, adding that the delegation had learned a great deal from the talks.
According to Zelenskyy, further discussions were also taking place with British, German and French representatives. He said the talks would first be held with the U.S. side, followed by a separate meeting with European national security advisers. Thanking the European partners for their presence, Zelenskyy said, “We are all on the same side here.”
A day earlier, Witkoff and Kushner had met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The two U.S. representatives then traveled to Kyiv by train, along with other foreign delegations. At Kyiv's central railway station, the platform carried the words “Peace Express.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had prepared everything needed to reactivate its airports, but the U.S. delegation traveled by train because of Russian attacks. Ukraine has kept its airspace closed since Russia launched its full-scale military operation in 2022.
Meanwhile, Putin and Zelenskyy have both pledged that Moscow and Kyiv would not be targeted during the talks involving the U.S. representatives.
