Ukraine's new plan to pressure Russia remains a mystery to Washington

Washington has not yet received President Volodymyr Zelensky's new plan to pressure Russia into ending its war, a U.S. official familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent.

Zelensky said on Aug. 12 that Kyiv and its international partners have developed a joint plan based on pressure against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The plan comes as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner prepare to visit Ukraine and Russia in another attempt to revive stalled peace talks.

"Putin does not want to stop this war, but he will stop it. We have a plan," Zelensky said.

The U.S. official said Witkoff and Kushner held a call with Ukrainian officials on Aug. 11. The plan was mentioned during the conversation, but Kyiv has not since provided Washington with detailed proposals.

"(Witkoff and Kushner) haven't seen it yet," the official said.

It remains unclear what the Ukrainian strategy entails. The plan is likely to be shared with Witkoff and Kushner when they visit Kyiv later this month.

The planned trip comes as peace talks have remained frozen since the U.S. began its military campaign against Iran in February. Previous efforts to reach a settlement have repeatedly run into Moscow's demands.

Kyiv has argued that freezing the current front line would provide the most realistic basis for a ceasefire. Russia continues to demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from parts of Ukraine's Donbas as a condition for an agreement. Ukraine has rejected the proposal.

In recent month, Ukraine has intensified attacks against Russian military infrastructure, logistics hubs, and strategic targets deep inside Russia.

Russia has also stepped up missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities, repeatedly striking Kyiv and other civilian population centers.

The escalation has increased pressure on Ukraine's air defense. Kyiv faces shortages of Patriot interceptors, which are needed to defend against Russian ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian leaders now hope the active phase of the war could end before winter, when Russia could again target Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

A U.S. official previously told the Kyiv Independent that the White House increasingly believes both Moscow and Kyiv may have reasons to consider an air ceasefire.

Ukraine's expanded long-range strikes could give Moscow an incentive to halt air attacks, while Kyiv faces pressure from Russia's continued missile and drone campaign.

Russia has previously signaled that it considers battlefield developments more important than negotiations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in June that the course of the war would depend on developments at the front.

"Everything depends on the actions of our heroes on the front lines," he said. Russia has been slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine all year.