Putin Envoy Heads to New York as Washington Renews Ukraine Diplomacy Effort

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev is set to meet US officials in New York on Thursday, Sept. 24, as Washington makes a new attempt to revive negotiations over Russia’s war against Ukraine.Dmitriev will meet US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss the administration’s latest proposals, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the plans.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Reuters separately reported that the agenda would include a possible settlement of the war, energy issues, and potential economic cooperation between Russia and the US.The visit was approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin and will take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to Reuters.US pushes three-step de-escalation planWashington is currently promoting three immediate measures: a reciprocal ceasefire covering energy infrastructure, the reopening of the Black Sea grain corridor, and a trilateral US-Ukraine-Russia meeting, potentially in Abu Dhabi, Axios reported.President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine was prepared to accept a mutual halt on energy strikes.“On the table now there is a proposition: energy ceasefire. We are ready,” Zelensky told Axios.He stressed, however, that Kyiv would stop attacking Russian oil refineries and other energy facilities only if Moscow halted strikes against Ukraine’s power grid, heating systems, and other critical infrastructure.Previously, Zelensky also expressed readiness for direct trilateral talks involving himself, Trump, and Putin. Other Topics of Interest Estonia Targets 2 Russian Oligarchs With National Sanctions France, Slovakia, and Luxembourg pushed to delist two oligarchs, resulting in a compromise: three-year extensions instead of the usual six months. The US has floated Abu Dhabi as a possible location for an initial meeting between technical delegations. Zelensky has also suggested that the G20 summit in Miami in December could provide an opportunity for talks at the leaders’ level.On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both Kyiv and Moscow had shown interest in a limited arrangement covering grain shipments and energy infrastructure. He also expressed hope that Putin would accept Trump’s invitation to attend the G20 summit.Moscow sends mixed signalsDespite the renewed diplomatic activity, the Kremlin has publicly downplayed the prospect of an imminent breakthrough.On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the conditions for resuming negotiations with Ukraine were not yet in place and that there was currently no prospect of a high-level meeting.Dmitriev’s visit nevertheless provides Moscow with another direct channel to the Trump administration.The Russian official, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund, participated in Putin’s Sept. 5 meeting with Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow. He also held a separate three-hour discussion with the US envoys before their meeting with Putin.The Kremlin described those talks as useful, but announced no concrete progress. The US delegation later traveled to Kyiv for discussions with Zelensky.Dmitriev has emerged as one of Moscow’s principal intermediaries with Washington, participating in negotiations concerning energy sanctions, prisoner exchanges, and possible postwar economic cooperation.His New York meetings come after Trump and Zelensky held talks during the UN General Assembly.Zelensky said the US envoys appeared optimistic about Putin’s readiness to negotiate but cautioned that he remained skeptical of the Russian leader’s intentions.“They said, ‘We think that Putin is ready.’ I said, ‘Look, I’m not sure,’” Zelensky recalled. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.