War to continue in winter? What Zelensky said on Russia-Ukriane conflict, territorial issue after talks with US envoys
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "War to continue in winter? What Zelensky said on Russia-Ukriane conflict, territorial issue after talks with US envoys")
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on September 6, 2026, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (C), US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (L) and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner (R) pose for a photo prior to their talks in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photograph: (AFP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned the Russia-Ukraine war could continue through winter, while saying Kyiv had a positive assessment of peace prospects. He said territorial issues require leader-level talks.
Following talks with US envoys in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday (Sep 6) warned that war with Russia appears likely to continue this winter. Although he suggested that there was a “positive assessment” of talks with US President Donald Trump’s negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Zelensky added that US and Ukrainian teams also discussed security and economic guarantees for Kyiv. This comes after Witkoff and Kushner marked their first visit to Kyiv. The meeting came a day after they held discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
War to continue in winter?
Speaking after the discussions with Witkoff and Kushner, Zelensky said he was hopeful that an agreement will be reached with the United States. He also said that Ukrainians were counting on support from European allies. He suggested that it “appeared” that the war will continue in the winter.
Speaking after the discussions with Witkoff and Kushner, Zelensky said, “We very much hope that we will be able to reach agreements with our American partners, and we are counting on the support of our European partners – if the war continues in winter, and this is how it appears at the moment – but even so, the teams today have a positive assessment of our future prospects.”
What Zelensky said on territorial issues
The Ukrainian President said that the territorial issues between Kyiv and Moscow could only be resolved “at the level of leaders”. Zelensky has previously suggested talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly said Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine.
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“I want to stick to my view that such complex issues can only be resolved at the level of leaders,” he said.
Following talks with Zelensky, Witkoff said that both Russia and Ukraine need to make “compromises” to end the war that has been going on for more than four years.
“It’s going to take both sides to make some compromises and narrow the issues between them and we think we have the ingredients to get to that place,” Witkoff said.
“It is very difficult but we are committed, we care and we hope all of that leads to a successful peaceful diplomatic resolution,” he added.
Kyiv talks
The talks took place alongside discussions involving British, French and German representatives. Zelensky welcomed the European presence, saying, “We are grateful that the Europeans are with us today and that we are in such a coalition of countries. Here we are all on the same side.”
The American delegation arrived by train at Kyiv Central Station, where “Peace Express” was written on the platform. Zelensky said Ukraine had prepared its airports for the visit, but Russian strikes had made air travel impossible.
A White House official said the envoys had discussed “substantive plans which will be announced in the coming weeks”. The Kremlin said the Americans had proposed ideas for a settlement, without providing details.
