In Kyiv, they discussed a return to trilateral talks and the winter package

Zelensky called the defense against ballistic missiles the main problem

Цей матеріал також доступний:

06 Sep 2026

0 0

Володимир Зеленський, Стів Віткофф і Джаред Кушнер під час переговорів у Києві

In Kyiv, talks concluded between representatives of Ukraine, the USA and European countries. The US president’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spent the whole day in the capital. They met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian negotiating team and representatives of Europe.

According to Zelensky, the talks took place in three rounds. Topics included the situation on the front, a possible continuation of the war in winter, diplomatic steps, protection of Ukrainian airspace and a return to a trilateral format of talks involving Ukraine, the USA and Russia.

“You worked today even better than the Patriot systems for our citizens in the capital. Thank you. Come more often — and we will have a chance to live a little,” said Zelensky, addressing Witkoff and Kushner.

The president explained that behind the joke about the “Patriot” systems lies a serious problem. Separately, the participants examined the winter period and possible challenges if hostilities continue. The Ukrainian side hopes to reach an agreement with the USA and European partners on a winter package.

“We had good conversations; you can sometimes joke about the ‘Patriots’, but we understand that this is a very topical issue. We paid sufficient attention to the winter period and to all the challenges that may indeed occur. We very much hope that we will have the opportunity to agree with our American partners, and we hope for European partners. If the war continues into winter — for now it looks that way. The teams today assess our capabilities positively. If the war continues into winter, we are very counting on a winter package,” said Zelensky.

He added that difficult issues can only be resolved at the leaders’ level. In the president’s assessment, Ukraine has strengthened on the battlefield, which gives it more confidence in any future negotiations. Zelensky called for doing everything possible to hold trilateral meetings and noted that it is still unclear what Russia will agree to.

The president also reported that he will soon have meetings in Norway and Canada. According to him, a few issues need to be closed there.

Zelensky named capabilities to counter ballistic missiles as a weak point of Ukraine. He said the American side will increase production volumes of anti-ballistic missiles next year, and Ukraine is counting on receiving such systems.

“The last days have been truly horrifying because of what is happening in the sky. Putin is doing this ahead of his elections. He is increasing strikes. A new strategy. We will respond in kind,” said Zelensky.

According to him, about 60 companies in Ukraine are already working on systems to shoot down jet drones. More precisely, there are 67 such enterprises, and several of them have already demonstrated results. The president called this protection and a plan B. Plan A, he considers, is to maximize the acceleration of diplomatic opportunities to reduce escalation.

Zelensky said that in the coming weeks Ukraine, the USA and Europe will be able to discuss the details of further steps. Some of the new ideas the parties do not yet want to announce publicly because they first need to be analyzed. The president stressed that the talks must end with a concrete result.

The question of the Donbas, according to Zelensky, cannot be considered separately from the whole war. He called the current confrontation a war of survival and attrition, and the territorial issue — Russia‘s objective.

Steve Witkoff said that US President Donald Trump asked him and Jared Kushner to come to Ukraine to restart the talks. The American side, he said, considers achieving a result very important.

“I hope everyone understands that this is very important to us and we are very serious about it. It is very important for us to achieve a result,” said Witkoff.

Jared Kushner conveyed Donald Trump’s respect to Volodymyr Zelensky. He said the US president is closely monitoring the situation and is working hard to find a way out of the war. According to Kushner, Trump aims not only to stop the conflict but also to create a framework for long-term peace.

“President Trump sends his respects. He is watching the situation very closely and is working hard to find a way out of this war. The president is now focused not just on stopping the conflict, but on creating a framework within which long-term peace can be built,” said Kushner.

Kushner also said that Trump tasked them with preparing a peace package. The American representatives consider a return to the trilateral format, which the parties tried about six months ago, to be productive. He said they discussed this with both sides and hope to return to that format soon.

“Steve and I believe that returning to the trilateral format that we tried six months ago would be productive. We discussed this with both sides and hope to return to it soon. It is very important to discuss not only the big issues but also de‑escalation measures. Steve and I consider the trilateral format more useful because all sides communicate directly with each other,” said Kushner.

He added that there is no such thing in the world as an “eternal enemy” or an “eternal ally.” In Kushner‘s view, when searching for a solution one must assess the best possible outcome and the benefits the parties can obtain. He explained that Trump came from business, where decisions are sought on the principle of mutual benefit.

“In the business world you think in terms of ‘win‑win’ — how to create an opportunity for both sides to act in their own interests. War is a negative approach: in the end everyone loses,” Kushner concluded.