Zelenskyy expects war to continue through another winter after talks with US envoys

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the war with Russia appears likely to continue through another winter, even as he described talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as positive.

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Both sides will have to make concessions and reduce their differences, and we believe we have the elements necessary to achieve this.

Speaking after their first discussions in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Ukraine hoped to reach agreements with its American partners and had the support of its European partners. “If the war continues in winter, and that is how it looks at the moment, the teams still have a positive assessment of our future prospects,” he told journalists.

Witkoff, a businessman close to US President Donald Trump, said Russia and Ukraine would have to make concessions and narrow their differences. “Both sides will have to make concessions and reduce their differences, and we believe we have the elements necessary to achieve this,” he said at a news conference after meeting Zelenskyy.

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If the war continues in winter, and that is how it looks at the moment, the teams still have a positive assessment of our future prospects.

Witkoff and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, traveled to Kyiv for the first time as part of US efforts to end the war. They arrived by train, while a later meeting brought together the two American envoys, a Ukrainian delegation and security officials from Britain, France and Germany. “We are grateful that the Europeans are here with us today,” Zelenskyy said. “We are all on the same side.”

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We are grateful that the Europeans are here with us today.

The envoys had visited Moscow eight times since beginning their mediation efforts, but this was their first trip to the Ukrainian capital. For the negotiations, Vladimir Putin ordered a three-day halt to bombardments of Kyiv from Saturday through Monday and said he would guarantee the envoys’ safety. Ukraine also announced a suspension of attacks on Moscow during that period. The talks followed earlier efforts to end the conflict that have not produced an agreement, despite Trump’s campaign promise to end the war within 24 hours of returning to the White House in January 2025.

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We are all on the same side.