Zelensky: ‘Talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US may take place this month’
Whilst attempts at negotiation continue, new Russian air strikes have hit the Ukrainian capital, leaving at least two people dead. Ukrainian drones have also reached the Russian city of Saratov, causing damage to infrastructure and resulting in some casualties
A trilateral meeting between Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators could take place as early as this month. This is according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, following separate talks held over the weekend by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Moscow and Kyiv. “If all parties agree, we’d also like to hold it in the autumn. If September works, that would be excellent. The sooner it happens, the better,” Zelensky told reporters.
Meanwhile, the temporary three-day truce, during which Russia and Ukraine had agreed to suspend attacks on one another to allow for the talks, has come to an end and mutual attacks have resumed in full force. Today, an air-raid alert was triggered in the Ukrainian capital following a Russian air raid in which at least three people were killed and seven others injured. Emergency services reported buildings hit in the Boryspil and Fastiv districts on the outskirts of the capital, but the attacks damaged buildings across the city. The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, said that some people were trapped in a residential building. At around 5.30 am (02.30 GMT), the air raid alert was in force across a dozen regions of Ukraine, whilst in Kyiv it was subsequently lifted.
The Ukrainian army has also resumed strikes on Russian territory. The city of Saratov has been hit by a drone attack, which is reported to have caused damage to civilian infrastructure and some casualties, according to initial reports. This was announced by the region’s governor, Roman Busargin, as reported by the Interfax news agency. “Civilian infrastructure,” he said, “has been damaged. All emergency services are working at the scene. Preliminary reports indicate there are casualties.” Meanwhile, Poland has also announced the start of “air operations” following the Russian attack.
Lavrov: ‘The West shouldn’t get too carried away with its new ideas for peace’
Although the talks held by the American envoys with Putin and Zelensky have been described as positive and ‘substantive’ by US government representatives themselves, Moscow is tempering enthusiasm about the prospect of a swift peace. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the West has on several occasions persuaded Ukraine to reject peace settlements with Russia, and so it should not now be “getting too carried away” by the presentation of “new ideas” to resolve the conflict. ‘There have been many warnings, and more than enough options for making peace,’ Lavrov stated in an interview with the online project Sama Menshova, reported by TASS. “A very interesting article has appeared in an American publication, *The American Conservative*, which sets out over several pages how the West prevented Ukraine from signing its own peace initiatives that we had accepted,” Lavrov added. “So now they shouldn’t get too carried away about their ‘new ideas’,” concluded the Russian foreign minister. Furthermore, according to Lavrov, the American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reiterated to Moscow President Donald Trump’s position, which rules out Ukraine’s accession to NATO and acknowledges the reality on the ground. This position has been welcomed by Moscow, which wishes to continue the dialogue.
As for Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he hopes to meet Donald Trump by the end of September to discuss a package of support for Kyiv’s air defences, where Russia has stepped up its missile and drone attacks over the summer. The Ukrainian leader told journalists that he was “counting on a meeting” with the US President after 20 September, during which he will seek US supplies to help intercept Russian ballistic missiles.
