Kremlin doesn't rule out restarting three-way peace talks with Ukraine, US
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Russia does not rule out a potential resumption of trilateral talks with Ukraine and the U.S., but it is too early to discuss location and dates, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sept. 7.
The comments after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend in an effort to advance peace talks, with Kushner saying Washington hopes to resume them in a trilateral format.
The U.S.-led peace efforts have been in an effective deadlock since the last round of trilateral talks in February, as Washington's focus shifted to its war with Iran while Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart on territorial issues.
In comments for the Russian media, Peskov said he has no information about the results of the U.S.-Ukraine talks in Kyiv, but did not rule out a subsequent call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump.
People familiar with the latest negotiations told the Kyiv Independent that while the envoys brought revised peace proposals, no breakthrough was achieved as Putin appears intent on escalating his war against Ukraine.
One of these proposals was said to include a mutual pause in aerial strikes — an idea Russia turned down. Moscow only agreed to a limited three-day pause in strikes against the capital cities during the envoys' visits.
The behind-the-door comments contrast with Witkoff's public statement that the visits led to "substantive progress," namely toward trilateral talks.
Peskov did not provide details about the discussions in Moscow and declined to comment on whether the new U.S. proposals differed from those discussed last year in Alaska, where Moscow demanded that Kyiv cede its Donbas region.
Russia's condition for Ukraine to relinquish control of the partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts remains a key sticking point in peace talks, as Kyiv refuses to cede additional territory and urges a ceasefire along the current front lines.
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged after talks with U.S. envoys on Sept. 6 that the war is likely to continue into winter.
Ukraine is bracing for a new wave of Russian aerial winter strikes after Moscow's attacks took out 9 GW of the country's energy production during the previous winter campaign.
