Putin may be ready to resume Ukraine talks after Sept. 20, Élysée source says

Vladimir Putin may be willing to return to peace negotiations over Ukraine after Russia’s parliamentary elections, according to a source at the Élysée Palace cited by European Pravda.

The source said the Kremlin could regain an interest in negotiations after the elections end on Sept. 20. The message, according to the French official, came from U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner after their Sept. 5 meeting with Putin in Moscow. They conveyed the reported Russian position to Ukrainian negotiators and national security advisers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom during talks in Kyiv on Sept. 6.

The Americans’ central message was that preparations for a new negotiation process should begin now, the source said. France also wants the three European countries, known as the E3, to take part in Ukraine-U.S.-Russia talks in some form. The Élysée official said French representatives had already helped draft several documents used by the United States in its negotiations with Russia and were prepared to continue.

The source added that Washington supports the European approach of maintaining sanctions pressure on Russia. Following the Kyiv meeting, the French, German and British security advisers agreed with their Ukrainian counterparts to develop conditions for future negotiations with Moscow over the coming weeks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said preparations were underway for further meetings and communications after he met Trump’s special envoys. He also said the Kyiv talks produced several ideas for the next stage and that Ukraine, the United States and Europe had agreed to meet again soon.