Vance says Iran conflict is not a war and declines to give timeline for its end

At least three people were killed in overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine, local officials said, as Kyiv prepared for possible new diplomatic contacts with Washington.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said preliminary dates had been set for meetings in Moscow and Kyiv. He said Ukraine’s negotiating team remained in near-constant contact with the United States and was preparing for high-level talks. “They confirmed they will have a meeting in Moscow and another one in Kyiv. We expect the latter to take place in the coming days. This is very important. It is important that America remain actively engaged,” he said.

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They confirmed they will have a meeting in Moscow and another one in Kyiv. We expect the latter to take place in the coming days. This is very important. It is important that America remain actively engaged.

Russian state news agency TASS reported that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would visit Moscow first and Kyiv on Sept. 5-6, but the claim could not be independently verified. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm a Moscow visit, saying the media would be informed if such a meeting occurred. US officials also did not immediately confirm the plans.

A Russian attack on the Odesa region killed one person and injured at least five, including a child, regional head Oleh Kiper said. Several residential buildings, including two high-rise blocks, were damaged. In Dnipro, two police officers died in overnight strikes, while a drone attack in Kyiv injured three people after hitting a residential building.

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That reaching a long-term settlement can’t be expected without solving the territorial issue.

Ukraine’s front line in the east and south remains largely deadlocked, while Russian attacks have expanded from mainly nighttime strikes to daytime attacks. Negotiations have lost momentum as the White House focuses on its conflict with Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the talks as “frozen” on Wednesday, and Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said a long-term settlement could not be expected without resolving the territorial issue.

Russian officials also reported a large Ukrainian drone attack on Sochi and the nearby Sirius district. They said the strike started a fire at an oil depot. The article’s headline refers to Vice President JD Vance saying the Iran conflict was not a war and declining to provide a timeline for its end.

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frozen