A new round of negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States could be held in October, the Kremlin said on Sunday, September 13, again conditioning progress towards an agreement on the territorial issue.
Read more Sara Montecinos, a lifetime running
“We do not rule out such a possibility; we are talking about the foreseeable future,” said the Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, according to the RIA and TASS agencies.
From Kyiv, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Budanov, had said on Saturday that his country was preparing for a possible resumption of trilateral talks in October. His statement also did not include a defined date or place.
The Kremlin advisor for International Affairs, Yuri Ushakov, said that territorial differences remain central to advancing negotiations, although he warned that they are not the only outstanding issue.
“Now we need to agree on the territorial issue. But there are also many other matters. In fact, there are many that still need to be resolved,” he told the Izvestia newspaper.
Among the Russian demands is the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from all of Donbas, a demand that Kyiv rejects. Ushakov insisted that if there is progress in that area, “it will be easier to move forward on the path of agreements.”
The Russian advisor Ushakov indicated that Abu Dhabi, Turkey and other places have offered to host a new meeting between the delegations of Russia, the United States and Ukraine. The released background does not establish an agreed venue.
The advisor added that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will later designate the head of the delegation that would participate in that meeting.
He also said that Washington has begun to better understand the Russian position after the several-hour meeting that Putin held in Moscow with White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. That assessment was expressed by Ushakov, who did not detail concrete agreements derived from that rapprochement.
Meanwhile, China and India offered to mediate in the conflict during the BRICS summit held in New Delhi.
Read more Elections in Brazil: The role of Donald Trump and the ghost of João Goulart
