Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv had submitted new proposals to Washington aimed at ending the war with Russia, though he gave no details on their contents, according to Al Jazeera. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said the US could help by strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses while increasing pressure on Moscow to prepare “for an end to the war rather than prolonging it.”
Russia disputed that any proposal exists. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters Moscow is “unaware” of such a document and that the US never passed one along through diplomatic channels, according to TASS. Ryabkov added that Russia could promptly arrange a meeting with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner once their travel plans are known. Separately, Federation Council foreign affairs chief Grigory Karasin said Russia is prepared to discuss only whatever version the US itself puts forward, “regardless of what Zelenskyy has proposed and what he has not proposed,” according to RBC-Ukraine.
The exchange follows a July 22 phone call between Zelenskyy and the two US envoys, according to Ukrainska Pravda, though the pair have not visited Kyiv since; they were last in Moscow in January. Talks to end the war, now in its fifth year, have largely stalled since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran earlier this year.
Zelenskyy also accused Russia of preparing to use next month’s parliamentary elections as cover for a fresh mobilization drive, alleging Moscow plans to call up several hundred thousand additional troops by the end of the year and a similar number in 2027. Russian officials have previously denied that another mobilization is planned.
