Zelensky: war “looks like it will continue into winter” — Ukraine counting on aid package from the US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that hostilities could continue into the winter period and expressed hope for a special support package from American partners.

The statement came at a meeting in Kyiv with US President’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

“We paid sufficient attention to the winter period, to all the challenges that could genuinely arise. We very much hope that we will be able to reach an agreement with our American partners, and we are counting on our European partners — if the war continues into winter, which is how it looks for now. The teams today assessed our capabilities positively. If the war continues into winter, we are very much counting on a winter package,” — Zelensky said.

A similar assessment of the situation is offered by The Financial Times, citing sources: Ukrainian participants in the talks believe that hostilities with Russia are unlikely to end before winter sets in. According to the outlet, Witkoff and Kushner “did not bring many new ideas” — mostly updated versions of already published documents in an attempt to revive interest in existing proposals and narrow the differences between Moscow and Kyiv.

Kyiv’s negotiators doubt that the hot phase of the war can be concluded before December. The main point of contention remains control over Donetsk region: the Kremlin continues to insist on the full withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from there.

“The central issue is the remaining territory of Donbas controlled by Ukraine. The envoys discussed ways to help Ukraine through an anticipated difficult period as Russia intensifies attacks on critical infrastructure facilities, though they assured Zelensky and his team that they believe progress on a peace settlement can still be achieved before winter,” — The Financial Times writes.

The American outlet Axios, for its part, citing sources, reports that Witkoff and Kushner are pushing for the war between Russia and Ukraine to end before winter. A source for the outlet suggests that “the situation could change for the better if both sides decide to continue” negotiations.

Earlier, Western media were skeptical in their assessments of Witkoff and Kushner’s talks in Moscow. The outlet reported separately on what Trump’s envoys discussed with Zelensky and European representatives during today’s meeting in Kyiv.