A Winter Without Escalation? Zelensky Reveals Putin’s Messages to Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has raised the prospect of a different winter on the Ukrainian front.

Zelensky told the American news outlet Axios that Russia had informed Donald Trump’s two envoys of its willingness to begin negotiations over the war in Ukraine, pointing to the possibility of a “de-escalation” during the winter.

In the interview, Zelensky said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “needs Trump” and does not want to “anger him,” particularly ahead of the midterm elections scheduled for early November.

The Kremlin has therefore shown a “readiness for dialogue,” according to Zelensky, citing information conveyed to him by the two American envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The two officials travelled successively to Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend to meet Presidents Putin and Zelensky.

Axios reported that among the options proposed by Washington to launch a peace process was the possibility of a “de-escalation” before or during the winter.

“There are ideas concerning energy, grain and electricity, as well as oil and gas,” Zelensky told the outlet.

Infrastructure linked to these sectors has become a major target of the daily attacks carried out by both sides.

For his part, Witkoff said on Monday that his tour had produced “substantial progress” towards arranging trilateral talks aimed at ending the conflict stemming from the war in Ukraine, which has continued since February 2022.

Trump was elected in 2024 after pledging during his election campaign to bring the war in Ukraine to a swift end, an objective he has not yet succeeded in achieving.

On Monday, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff praised the talks held over the weekend in Moscow and Kyiv, saying they could lead to setting a date for new trilateral peace negotiations.

In a post on the X platform, Witkoff spoke of “substantial progress,” including progress towards setting a date for additional trilateral talks.

Witkoff is conducting negotiations on behalf of the United States alongside Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump.

The two American envoys visited Kyiv for the first time on Sunday.

A Ukrainian official told Agence France-Presse on Sunday that the envoys had presented new and “more effective” proposals to end the war. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the fighting was likely to continue into the winter.