US and Ukraine Seek to Restart Negotiations with Russia and Consider Partial Ceasefire

Officials in Ukraine view a total end to the conflict as unlikely and consider a limited truce the most practical solution.

Ukraine and the United States are urging the Kremlin toward fresh peace discussions following continued long-range Ukrainian strikes on Russian facilities.

The Kyiv Independent reports that both nations hope recent battlefield shifts will compel Russia to return to talks.

A US official noted to the Kyiv Independent that the White House believes Russian President Vladimir Putin could now accept at least a partial aerial ceasefire after repeated strikes near Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner earlier this week.

A source familiar with the discussion informed the Kyiv Independent that the envoys explained Washington is updating its negotiation framework and will coordinate closely with Kyiv on proposals before sharing them with Moscow.

Trump and Zelensky Scheduled to Confer in Washington While Envoys Prepare for Moscow Trip

The two US envoys plan to travel to Moscow in late July or early August to pursue further dialogue.

Zelensky will meet US President Donald Trump next week during the funeral of former senator Lindsay Graham to review peace developments and frontline updates in the nearly four-year war.

Zelensky stated on Thursday that a trilateral session involving the US, Ukraine and Russia could occur by fall.

"I think there will be a trilateral meeting then. Of course we need to do all this by the fall. I think we need to work hard on this. If it were up to us it would be in July. But not everything depends on us," Zelensky said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated on Thursday that new ideas are required to launch peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

"If when peace comes it will be because of some new idea and some new concepts and we are prepared to offer some of those in the right setting and form if the opportunity presents itself and the conditions are right," Rubio said. "We are prepared to play that role in a positive way."

"I think it is a very bloody war," he added. "I think both sides should have an incentive to bring it to an end. That has been the challenge an end that both sides can accept and we have tried and we will continue to try to see if we can find a middle ground that brings this about."

Ukraine and US Advocate for Limited Peace Agreement

On Friday the Kremlin insisted that any fresh US proposals must be acceptable to Russia.

Moscow has repeatedly called for the US to cease arms supplies to Ukraine and align closer to the Alaska Understandings.

The Kremlin describes the Alaska Understandings as agreements reached last summer during Putin's meeting with Trump in Alaska.

Those understandings include US pressure on Ukraine to cede control of the Donbas region which Kyiv has called unacceptable.

Russia has also declined to join talks in nations it considers non-neutral.

While battlefield conditions appear to be shifting officials who spoke with the Kyiv Independent believe both Kyiv and Moscow have motives to seek a partial ceasefire.

Although Ukraine can now manufacture Patriot missiles it still faces shortages of interceptor munitions while Russia's weakened air defenses have become more vulnerable to attacks.

Yet Ukrainian officials maintain that Russia is unlikely to accept a complete end to the war so a partial ceasefire remains the most realistic option for both Ukrainian and US sides.