Ukraine and Russia could return to the negotiating table in September, potentially with the participation of US representatives, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov said Thursday, according to Reuters.
Budanov said Ukraine was seeking to restart negotiations and suggested that developments could come next month. US-led peace efforts have stalled this year after Ukraine rejected Russian demands for additional territorial concessions, while Washington's attention has increasingly shifted toward the conflict with Iran.
Asked whether he expected direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in September, Budanov told Ukrainian outlet Noviny Live: “I hope so, yes, and the Americans too, of course. We cannot do without them.”
He did not provide a date or venue for a possible meeting and did not say that a new round of talks had already been agreed.
The last trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States took place in February. Since then, Kyiv and Moscow have conducted separate discussions with US officials, but the three sides have not held another joint meeting.
