Ukraine's chief of staff signals possible September talks with Russia

Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, announced that Ukraine is seeking to restart diplomatic talks with Russia in September, hoping to include U.S. representatives. He explained that the peace initiative stalled earlier this year because Kyiv refused Russian requests for additional territory and Washington became preoccupied with tensions involving Iran. Zelenskiy recently indicated that a window for U.S. mediation remains open through the end of next summer and that a concise set of ideas has been drafted for presentation to Moscow.

The most recent three-way meeting with U.S. involvement took place in February, after which Ukrainian and Russian delegations have only held separate talks with the American team. Budanov expressed optimism that both Ukrainian and American sides are eager to move forward.