Kremlin does not rule out renewed three-way talks with the United States and Ukraine

The Kremlin has left the door open to renewed three-way negotiations between Russia, the United States and Ukraine, though it says discussions about a venue or date would be premature.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the statement on September 7 after U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Russia and Ukraine the previous week. “We also do not rule out the possibility of resuming this trilateral format, but it is still too early to talk about a specific place and time,” Peskov said.

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We also do not rule out the possibility of resuming this trilateral format, but it is still too early to talk about a specific place and time.

Peskov said Russia had not yet received information about U.S.-Ukraine meetings in Kyiv on September 6. He also declined to disclose the content of the U.S. peace proposal or the issues still blocking agreement. He did not rule out a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the envoys’ visits.

“Any effort is a small step toward peace,” Peskov said. He added that Russia valued the U.S. negotiators’ peace efforts and that Putin had expressed appreciation for Trump’s commitment to pursuing that path.

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Any effort is a small step toward peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the parties to keep diplomacy on track, calling it “essential.” He said the partners understood what could produce results and what needed to be achieved before winter, while officials coordinated further steps and prepared for upcoming meetings and exchanges. Zelenskyy had also said new ideas were discussed positively with the U.S. envoys, but warned that the war would continue through this winter.

The possibility of renewed talks follows three rounds earlier in 2026, the first such trilateral meetings since the conflict began in 2022. The first two rounds took place in Abu Dhabi in January and early February, followed by a third round in Geneva in mid-February. Russia and Ukraine both acknowledged that the discussions were difficult and produced no significant breakthrough. Major differences remained over key issues, especially control of territory in eastern Ukraine.

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