Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that new talks with Russia will be held with the United States acting as mediator, according to welt.de. The German outlet reported the development on Sunday, citing Kyiv.
The announcement points to continued diplomatic contact between the two sides, with Washington positioned between them. Welt.de did not provide further details on when or where the discussions would take place.
The reported talks come amid parallel coverage of economic dealings tied to the peace process. Handelsblatt reported that Ukraine peace negotiations are set to be linked to a major oil deal. BILD reported that US President Donald Trump is examining what it described as a dirty oil deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and raised the question of whether people close to Trump would benefit.
MDR.de reported that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are said to want an oil deal with Russia. The Frankfurter Rundschau reported that the Kremlin has defended a multibillion-dollar deal involving Kushner in connection with the Ukraine negotiations.
Together, the reports suggest that diplomatic and commercial tracks are being pursued at the same time, though the outlets cited did not set out how the oil arrangement and the negotiations would be connected.
What to watch next: whether Kyiv, Moscow or Washington confirm a date, location or format for the talks, and whether the reported oil deal is formally placed on the table.
