Putin Raises the Stakes Ahead of Talks with the U.S. — Zelenskyy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Russia is deliberately intensifying its attacks ahead of possible negotiations with the United States. In his view, Vladimir Putin is trying to provoke Ukraine into retaliating so that he can further justify a new escalation. At the same time, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will continue to strengthen its defenses and is not abandoning the diplomatic track.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia may be deliberately escalating its attacks ahead of new talks with the United States. According to Zelenskyy, the Russian leadership is attempting in this way to influence upcoming negotiations and create a pretext for further escalation. “The second point—in my view—is that he (Putin—ed.) is deliberately escalating everything as much as possible so that Ukraine responds, allowing him to continue the escalation and keep raising the stakes as much as possible ahead of any talks with the Americans,” Zelenskyy explained.
The president also linked the activity of Russian forces in the air to the situation on the battlefield. According to him, Russia’s aggressive actions in the sky may indicate that it is more difficult for the Russian army to achieve its objectives directly on the ground. At the same time, Zelenskyy warned that, in his assessment, Russian troops will continue to attack Ukrainian infrastructure.
This includes, in particular, bridges, data centers, and other facilities. The president stated that Russia may continue to attempt to strike critical elements of Ukraine’s infrastructure. Against this backdrop, Ukraine plans to work simultaneously on two fronts—strengthening its defenses and continuing diplomatic efforts.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s strategy remains unchanged. This involves strengthening its own defenses, destroying Russian targets, and continuing the negotiation process. “As I said, yesterday I spoke with the Americans—the negotiation team—and we are in constant contact,” the president noted.
According to him, the American side is interested in ensuring that meetings between representatives of the parties take place as soon as possible. “Witkoff just wrote to me that they really want to organize meetings as soon as possible. I think we’ll support the organization of these meetings,” Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, the head of state emphasized that for the negotiation process to continue, it is important not only for Ukraine and the U.S. to participate, but also for Russia. “It is very important that not only Ukraine, but also the Russian side support these meetings,” Zelenskyy stressed. Ukraine had previously also stated its readiness to continue negotiations in various formats. In early September, Zelenskyy reported that the Ukrainian side was open to diplomatic steps, while U.S. representatives were maintaining contacts with both Kyiv and Moscow.
Thus, Kyiv is simultaneously preparing for a possible intensification of Russian attacks while maintaining a channel of communication with the United States. At the same time, the further progress of the negotiations will also depend on the Russian side’s willingness to participate in such meetings. The head of state made this remark during a conversation with journalists.
Germany advocates for Ukraine to move more quickly toward European Union membership. Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Berlin is already working on this with partners in Brussels. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of reforms in Ukraine, particularly in the areas of the rule of law and the fight against corruption.
