U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Saturday that he hoped the next steps in talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine would be announced within two weeks, as Kyiv prepares for the possible resumption of trilateral talks with Russia and the United States in October.
Kushner awaits announcement of diplomatic steps
Speaking by video at the Yalta European Strategy Forum in Kyiv, Kushner said he hoped the anticipated announcement would pave the way for progress. He also referred to what he described as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to finding a way forward, a remark that drew laughter in the forum hall.
Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, visited Moscow and Kyiv last week alongside U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff as part of an effort to revive Washington-led attempts to end the war, which has lasted more than four years. The two envoys expressed optimism without announcing a diplomatic breakthrough.
Kyiv prepares for a round of trilateral talks
Ukrainian media quoted Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, as saying that Kyiv was preparing to resume trilateral talks in October with the aim of reaching a settlement to the war. He said the preparations included the possibility of a new round involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
The latest trilateral meeting was held in Geneva in February, while U.S.-led diplomatic efforts stalled as Washington focused on the war in Iran. Negotiation rounds held last year produced only prisoner-of-war exchanges, as Moscow and Kyiv maintained their positions.
Regional disputes and attacks hinder settlement
The civilian death toll has risen over the past two months as Russia intensifies attacks on power stations and other facilities. Ukraine, meanwhile, has targeted energy facilities and warehouses in distant Russian regions. The Ukrainian military said it struck the Tolyattikauchuk plant, one of Russia’s largest synthetic rubber producers, in Tolyatti in the Samara region, causing a fire.
It added that the plant produces synthetic rubber and additives used in Russian rocket fuel. The Russian military said its forces targeted the Zaporizhstal steel company in Zaporizhzhia, the Interpipe Steel complex in Dnipro, and several plants in Kryvyi Rih. The two sides also traded attacks on each other’s shipping traffic.
In Moldova, which borders Ukraine, authorities closed the national airspace for about an hour after a drone was detected near the border and temporarily closed seven border crossings.
Russian drones periodically enter Moldovan airspace despite official protests. One such incident during the week delayed the departure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane for Norway.
