Zelenskyy speaks with Witkoff, Kushner; hints at September meetings

On August 31, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in a conversation with U.S. diplomats Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. During this discussion, Zelenskyy indicated that September might usher in "significant changes" to the ongoing peace process. These talks were being prepared to facilitate future communication with Moscow, as well as to facilitate the upcoming visits of Witkoff and Kushner to Kyiv.

The envoys were kept abreast of the battlefield situation in the Russo-Ukrainian war and the patterns of Russian drone attacks. They also deliberated on potential strategies to motivate Russia to seek an end to the conflict. Zelenskyy expressed the hope that the mindset of Russian President Vladimir Putin would shift towards ending the war, rather than continuing the fighting.

He added that intelligence reports, both Ukrainian and those from allied nations, suggest that Putin is still eager for war. The Ukrainian leader predicted that September could bring about significant changes and emphasized the necessity for Ukraine and its partners to take all possible measures to safeguard civilians and achieve peace.

On the same day, according to reports, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with his Russian counterpart in the context of discussing Trump's peace plan for Ukraine. Meanwhile, The Economist, referring to sources within the Kremlin, reported that Putin had decided to escalate the war against Ukraine after several weeks of deliberation that summer.

The report suggested that Putin believed his rule and life would be in jeopardy if the war concluded without Russia capturing Donbas Oblast.