Peace efforts theme
Sounds like Kiev is aware that there are less than two months left until the U.S. midterm elections.
Zelensky: US exploring de-escalation in winter. The US is testing the waters for a possible winding down of the war in the coming winter, says Volodymyr Zelensky to Axios.
He believes that Russia would like to see a harsh winter for Ukraine, with attacks on the country's energy infrastructure like in previous winters.
Zelensky adds, however, that Vladimir Putin probably doesn’t want to upset Donald Trump and that he, under pressure, might give Trump a small win ahead of the US election this fall.
It’s still unclear what the US envoys brought to Moscow and Kiev. According to reports to FT, there wasn’t much new, just slightly updated proposals to revive the peace process. See the article on SVT News.
Kremlin: Does not rule out peace talks. The Kremlin says it does not "rule out the resumption of peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S." This was stated by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday. However, he says it is too early to say in what form, Reuters reports. – It is still too early to talk about the location and exact dates, Peskov told reporters.
Peskov also says that the Kremlin does not rule out a phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to discuss the U.S. envoys' trip. – President Putin himself has said that he has great respect for President Trump's efforts and that he is grateful for President Trump's commitment to this path towards peace. See the article on SVT Nyheter.