Putin may seek to give Trump diplomatic win before US midterms, Zelensky says

Russian President Vladimir Putin may be angling to avoid antagonizing U.S. President Donald Trump and could be willing to hand him a diplomatic win ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Axios published Sept. 7.

Zelensky's comments follow a renewed round of U.S.-brokered peace talks led by Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in Kyiv and Moscow.

Asked whether Putin might want to give Trump a diplomatic success before the elections, Zelensky replied, "Yeah."

"My feeling (is) that Putin needs Trump,” Zelensky told Axios, adding that the Russian leader does not want to upset the U.S. president.

Trump had largely stepped back from active Ukraine diplomacy in recent months before the latest U.S.-led peace push, which failed to produce a breakthrough.

Witkoff and Kushner met Putin for more than three hours in Moscow on Sept. 5 before traveling to Kyiv for talks with Zelensky the following day. Following the meetings, the envoys said they were hoping to pursue trilateral talks with Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington in the near future.

The renewed diplomatic effort has extended beyond the Witkoff-Kushner talks. Trump on Setp. 7 also discussed the need to continue working toward a ceasefire with U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, according to Downing Street.

Zelensky's assessment of Putin's position echoes earlier comments from Presidential Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov, who suggested renewed negotiations could gather pace in late September — days after Russia's parliamentary elections, and weeks before the U.S. midterm elections.

Despite the renewed diplomatic activity and U.S. involvement of this past week, Russia has so far shown little willingness to compromise. Sources told the Kyiv Independent that Putin remains resistant to meaningful concessions and appears to be relying on another difficult winter as a planned strategy to increase pressure on Ukraine.

Zelensky told Axios that he believes the weeks before winter could provide a window for renewed diplomacy, even as he remains skeptical of Moscow's willingness to make meaningful concessions. He also warned that Putin could instead seek to force Kyiv to capitulate through intensified winter pressure.

The U.S. is exploring possible de-escalation measures ahead of and during the winter, including proposals concerning energy infrastructure, grain shipments, electricity facilities, and oil and gas exports, Zelensky said.

Last winter, repeated Russian attacks severely damaged Ukraine's energy system, knocking out 9 gigawatts of generation nationwide and giving thousands of Kyiv residents no choice but to grind through a season without reliable heat or electricity during temperatures that fell as low as -25 degrees Celsius (-13 Fahrenheit).