A Tripartite Meeting of Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia Could Be Announced Soon - Vitkoff

The U.S. president's special envoy for Ukraine, Steven Vitekov, said Washington wants to return to the trilateral format of talks, and an announcement about a meeting between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States could appear in the near future. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy insists that such meetings should be held as soon as possible. At the same time, the head of state acknowledges that the war will most likely continue into the winter.

Steven Vitekov stated his intentions to restore the trilateral dialogue, his remarks were conveyed by hromadske correspondent. According to the special envoy, an announcement about a meeting between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States "could come in the near future."

During the press conference, Vitekov said that together with Jared Kushner they heard in Moscow "new ideas that previously did not work," and they have already informed Ukraine's representatives in Kyiv about them.

"We need to do everything so that trilateral meetings take place," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy emphasized.

Axios, citing its own sources, reported that Vitekov and Kushner hope to achieve a "turning point" in the war by this winter. However, according to Zelenskiy, at present everything looks like fighting will continue into winter.

Why the negotiation process has dragged on

The trilateral format involving Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow has been discussed for months, but final agreements are repeatedly delayed due to changing circumstances surrounding the talks and the parties' positions on key peace terms. The American side has repeatedly stated its readiness to assemble three delegations, while the exact date of the meeting has not yet been officially announced.

The Ukrainian president emphasizes that U.S. participation in the negotiating process is a mandatory condition, since without Washington's involvement, Kyiv cannot directly reach an agreement with Moscow. At the same time, in the Kremlin, according to Ukrainian assessment, there is not yet real willingness to end the war.

Earlier, Informator reported that talks with the U.S. and Russia had already been delayed due to the situation around Iran, when Washington shifted attention to events in the Middle East. Then Kyrylo Budanov, head of the President's Office, and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umierov briefed Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the Russian side's plans, obtained through intelligence work. We also wrote that the next round of trilateral negotiations was planned to be held in Abu Dhabi, where the sides were to finalize security guarantees for Ukraine and prepare a leaders'-level meeting.