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KYIV: Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Russia showed readiness to negotiate towards a conflict settlement at talks with US envoys, Axios reported.<\/strong><\/p>\n The weekend visit to Moscow and Kyiv by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner marks Washington\u2019s latest bid to break a diplomatic stalemate in Europe\u2019s deadliest conflict since World War II, which began with Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago.<\/p>\n Witkoff touted progress in the meetings and raised the prospect of reviving three-way peace talks to end the war.<\/p>\n Zelensky told US news outlet Axios that the United States was pushing to de-escalate the conflict ahead of the long winter.<\/p>\n Russia has struck Ukraine\u2019s energy grid each winter since invading in February 2022, cutting power and heating to millions in temperatures as low as -20C.<\/p>\n Zelensky said the US envoys \u2014 who held separate talks with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders \u2014 told him that \u201cthe Russians are ready to negotiate\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cRussia really thinks that this winter can help them to break us,\u201d he told Axios.<\/p>\n But the administration of US President Donald Trump could pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate, he added, and Putin \u201cdoesn\u2019t want\u201d to \u201cupset\u201d his US counterpart.<\/p>\n Zelensky said the weekend talks included US proposals around energy facilities, grain shipments and oil and gas exports, but declined to give further details.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian leader said the US approach aimed to resume negotiations between the warring countries and ensure the coming winter was different from previous ones.<\/p>\n The goal was to make progress before or during winter in order to \u201cbring (the) sides closer to the peace,\u201d Zelensky said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n