The US is trying to revive the trilateral talks between Ukraine and Russia

The United States is pushing for the resumption of direct trilateral talks between the United States, Ukraine and Russia following key talks in Kiev by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The talks came a day after Witkoff and Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss an end to the war. Kushner said the US believed a return to the trilateral format could help move the talks forward. "One thing that Steve (Witkoff) and I felt could be productive is a return to the three-way format, which we were able to adopt about six months ago," he said. He said that through this format, the three sides would be able to talk directly to each other, instead of Washington having to talk to Moscow and Kiev separately to convey messages to each other. He hoped that "there will be progress on this issue very quickly." Zelensky welcomed the proposal, but said Ukraine was ready to consider broader talks involving its European partners. "We should make every effort to have trilateral meetings, or trilateral meetings involving our European partners. Now let's see what Russia agrees to," he said.
Zielinski said there had been "very important negotiations" spanning three periods. According to him, the talks held in Kiev took place in three sessions, while European representatives also participated in the last session. "Today we had three rounds of talks. All these talks were very important and fruitful," he said. "We had a good conversation," Zielinski said, thanking Witkoff and Kushner for their trip to Kiev and also expressing gratitude for US President Donald Trump's support. Zelenskiy also highlighted the challenges facing Ukraine during the coming winter, particularly air defense and energy needs. "If the war continues into the winter, we have high expectations from the winter package," he said. He said that Ukraine is interested in air defense support, energy sector assistance and substantial quantities of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States.
"We're relying on substantial quantities of American LNG and the ability to use it, along with support for the air defense and energy sector," Zielinski said. Zelinsky said the talks were not limited to military security, but also included long-term economic recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. "We are talking not only about security guarantees, but also about economic guarantees for Ukraine, so that the country can recover and rebuild," he said. He stressed that even after the end of the war, the armed forces of Ukraine should remain strong. "Our army must be strong and for us it is an important security guarantee," he said. Any guarantee must be credible enough to deter future Russian aggression, Zelensky said. "Assurances should be strong and clear. We should not be intimidated by any future challenge," he said. The Ukrainian president said the three sides also discussed Ukraine's future and plans for its economic prosperity, while European officials also joined the talks. "Ukraine, Europe and America will meet in the near future," he said. Despite new developments in diplomatic efforts, one of the most pressing issues, the territorial dispute, remains on the negotiating table. Zelenskiy said that the regional issue cannot be easily resolved at the working level of negotiations and ultimately it will have to be decided at the level of the leaders of the three countries. "The regional issue remains important. I think such complex issues can only be resolved at the level of leaders," Zelinsky said. Even in previous rounds of negotiations, progress has been difficult due to differences over territorial issues and security guarantees, leaving underlying political issues unresolved. Meanwhile, Kiev wants more steps from Washington to increase economic pressure on Russia. The Ukrainian side said it was counting on the efforts of Senator Lindsey Graham, whom Kiev describes as a strong pro-Ukraine supporter, to win US support for the new sanctions package. "The Ukrainian side is relying on the efforts of Lindsay Graham, a great friend of Ukraine, to get positive approval from the United States," the Ukrainian side said.
Keef said he has "high expectations for these sanctions" and expects a vote on the package in the US Senate. According to the Ukrainian side, the US delegation did not raise the issue during Sunday's talks, but officials said the Senate was actively and positively reviewing the sanctions package. Ukrainian officials also cited statements by Senator Richard Blumenthal, in which he said the chances of approval of the package were high.
"We look forward to the vote," the Ukrainian side said. U.S. special envoy Witkoff described his recent meeting with Putin as a "productive conversation" and said maintaining contact with both Moscow and Kiev was essential to reaching a peace deal. "We had a good and substantive discussion with Putin," he said. "If you don't have a relationship with both sides and you have poor communication, the chances of reaching a peaceful solution are very, very slim," he added.
"I'm sure there will be a good solution," Witkoff said after the talks in Kiev. The Kiev meeting was preceded by a three-hour meeting between Witkoff, Kushner and Putin in the Kremlin on Saturday, after which the US delegation had dinner with the Russian president.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called the talks "useful" and said the US delegation had "seriously prepared" for the visit. According to Ushakov, the US representatives expressed interest in ending the fighting as soon as possible and presented "several suggestions and points of consideration" regarding possible ways of settlement. Washington and Moscow also discussed concrete plans for the next phase of the diplomatic process, a White House official said.
"Both sides discussed concrete plans for next steps, which will be announced in the coming weeks," he said. Thus, the main objective of the fresh diplomatic efforts appears to be the resumption of direct talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine, while Ukraine is also seeking stronger security guarantees, military aid, energy assistance and Western pressure on Moscow. But the key question for Kiev is whether diplomacy can lead to a deal that ends the war but leaves Ukraine vulnerable to another Russian attack in the future.