Ukrainian Domestic — 2026-09-13

Budanov Says Next Ukraine-US-Russia Peace Talks May Take Place in October

BLUFBudanov's October target for trilateral peace talks is unlikely to hold during that window, given the absence of confirmed venue, agenda alignment, or Washington and Moscow buy-in.

Ukrainian Presidential Office chief Kyrylo Budanov said on the sidelines of the Yalta European Strategy meeting in Kyiv that a new round of Ukraine-US-Russia peace talks could take place in October, confirming a trilateral format but declining to name a location 12345. Speaking to Interfax-Ukraine, Budanov said "we are getting ready. In October" 345. According to Ukrinform, citing the Office of the President, Budanov said the talks would focus on a gradual reduction in airstrikes, with Black Sea shipping and strikes on civilian and critical infrastructure as the main issues, and stressed the importance of US and European participation 2. The remarks followed a visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv, their first trip to Moscow since February, and came after President Volodymyr Zelensky said he plans to meet President Trump in September before pursuing a trilateral meeting 25.

Analysis
A trilateral summit convening in October is unlikely: confirmation of format and timing without a venue points to talks still at the preparatory stage rather than scheduled. The Black Sea shipping and infrastructure-strike de-escalation Kyiv wants on the agenda presuppose a level of US-Russia alignment the Witkoff-Kushner Moscow visit has not yet produced, and Zelensky's flagged precondition of a September meeting with Trump before any three-way sit-down leaves the October target vulnerable to slippage. This carries low confidence, given reliance on one Ukrainian official's public remarks with no Washington or Moscow confirmation, though two independent primary accounts of Budanov's comments strengthen the reporting even as neither confirms scheduling. Budanov's statement may function as signaling to sustain momentum after the Moscow visit rather than reflecting an agreed date, leaving US and European officials weighing whether to front-load negotiating positions on Black Sea and infrastructure-strike limits now or hold them pending a firmer date, since premature concessions lose leverage if the meeting slips.

5 sources