Kremlin: US could speed up peace in Ukraine by halting aid to Kyiv
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said Washington could accelerate an end to the war in Ukraine by cutting off direct aid to Kyiv. Moscow also voiced hope of soon resuming three-way talks with the US and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov has said the United States could help bring a faster end to the war in Ukraine if Washington stopped providing direct aid to Kyiv. He made the remark after a phone call between Putin and US President Donald Trump, describing it as a closed conversation in which the two discussed reaching a peaceful settlement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow hopes three-way talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine could resume soon.
Possible meeting in China
During Tuesday's call, Putin and Trump reportedly also discussed the idea of holding a trilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in November, to be held in Shenzhen from November 18-19. Russia has confirmed Putin will attend, though the White House has not yet said whether Trump will be there. Peskov told reporters the possibility had indeed been discussed and remains on the table.
Envoys' visit and Zelensky's plans
Over the weekend, Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited both Moscow and Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday that the envoys brought several "good, respectable" proposals, though he could not yet say whether they would lead to results. Zelensky also said he hopes to meet Trump in the second half of September to discuss Ukraine's missile defense needs, possibly in New York during the UN General Assembly.
