Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the United States is looking at ways to reduce tensions between Ukraine and Russia during the coming winter, while also trying to restart wider peace negotiations. The latest diplomatic effort follows meetings between U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and the leaders of Russia and Ukraine. The two U.S. envoys met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before traveling to Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy. According to Zelenskyy, the main message from the discussions was that Russia is prepared to negotiate. However, the Ukrainian president said he remains cautious about this claim because Russia continues to launch attacks against Ukraine. Zelenskyy believes that smaller agreements could be used as confidence-building measures before larger peace negotiations begin. Possible areas for cooperation include protecting energy infrastructure, allowing grain shipments to continue, maintaining electricity supplies and discussing oil and gas issues. The Ukrainian leader said the goal is to find practical steps that could bring both sides closer to peace. Such measures would not immediately end the war, but they could help create better conditions for serious negotiations. Winter is an important part of the current discussions. Ukraine has faced major challenges to its energy system during previous winters because of Russian attacks on power plants and other critical infrastructure. Any agreement that reduces attacks on energy facilities could therefore provide significant relief for Ukrainian civilians. Zelenskyy also warned that Russia may see the winter months as an opportunity to put additional pressure on Ukraine. He said Moscow could hope that cold weather, energy problems and economic pressure will weaken Ukrainian society and its ability to continue resisting. At the same time, Zelenskyy believes Russia may have reasons to show greater flexibility toward Washington. He argued that Putin needs a good relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump and may not want to upset him, particularly ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. However, Zelenskyy’s comments show that Kyiv is not taking Russian statements about negotiations at face value. Ukraine wants to see concrete actions before fully trusting Moscow’s willingness to pursue peace. Kyiv is now pushing for broader talks to restart as early as September or October. Zelenskyy stressed that continued dialogue is necessary if the two sides want to achieve a meaningful result. The coming weeks could therefore become important for diplomacy. If Ukraine, Russia and the United States can agree on limited steps involving energy, food supplies and other areas, those measures could create a foundation for larger negotiations. But major obstacles remain. Russia and Ukraine still have deep disagreements over territory, security guarantees and the future political and military arrangements between the two countries. For now, Kyiv appears ready to return to negotiations, but it wants Russia to demonstrate through actions—not only words—that it is genuinely prepared to move toward peace.