Ukraine is seeking a new trilateral meeting with the US and Russia, potentially as early as this fall, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday, Sept. 8, as the Kremlin claimed that a resolution to Russia’s war was “very close.”
In recorded remarks to journalists, Zelensky said Kyiv wants to move toward three-party negotiations after his expected meeting with US President Donald Trump later in September.
“If everyone agrees, the meeting could take place in September. The sooner, the better,” Zelensky said.
No date or venue for such a meeting has been formally agreed, and neither Washington nor Moscow has publicly confirmed that preparations are underway.
UAE, Switzerland, and Turkey considered as venues
The UAE, Switzerland, and Turkey are among the possible venues for the next round of trilateral negotiations, Zelensky said.
Ukraine has received invitations from several countries and is also considering other potential locations, according to his reports.
Zelensky said the talks should produce concrete results rather than merely maintain diplomatic contact. He named energy and grain exports among the subjects that should be placed on the agenda.
The humanitarian track, particularly prisoner exchanges, would remain Kyiv’s immediate priority, as Ukraine will seek to increase both the number and frequency of the exchanges, Zelensky added.
Europe to join future negotiation formats
In separate remarks, European representatives will participate in all future negotiating formats, Zelensky said.
Officials from France, the UK, and Germany were already present during recent talks in Kyiv between the Ukrainian leadership and the US delegation. European diplomats also maintain their own channels of communication with Moscow, Zelensky added.
The president argued that Europe must be directly involved because any settlement would affect the security of the entire continent, not only Ukraine.
Europe’s role would also be tied to Ukraine’s future EU membership, postwar reconstruction, and security guarantees developed jointly with the US.
According to Zelensky, European countries should be treated as full participants in a future security system rather than solely as providers of financial and military assistance.
Talks follow US envoys’ visits to Moscow and Kyiv
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday, before traveling to Kyiv for talks with Zelensky on Sunday.
In Ukraine, the sides discussed security guarantees, postwar reconstruction, economic cooperation, air defenses, energy assistance, and a support package for Ukraine ahead of the winter season.
Zelensky said the most difficult questions, including territorial issues, could only be resolved at the level of national leaders.
Kremlin claims peace is “very close”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia expects trilateral talks involving Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington to resume.
“Russia is confident that a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine is very close,” Peskov said, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS.
Peskov provided no evidence of an imminent agreement and announced neither a date nor a venue for negotiations. A day earlier, however, he said it was too soon to discuss specific arrangements for a meeting.
Russia has repeatedly claimed to support diplomacy while continuing its attacks on Ukrainian cities and demanding that Kyiv surrender territory that Moscow’s forces have failed to occupy.
Zelensky said Ukraine would continue presenting constructive proposals but stressed that negotiations must deliver tangible humanitarian and security results.
“We need to continue working actively and jointly so that diplomacy exists,” he said.