Ukraine sends delegation to the US for energy ceasefire talks as Moscow asks for sanctions relief

A Ukrainian delegation is meeting US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, sent by Donald Trump, in the United States on October 9 and 10 to discuss ceasefire proposals on energy and in the Black Sea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, according to the Kyiv Independent. The delegation includes Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and Kyrylo Budanov, head of the president’s office. Kyiv wants a European team to take part as well.

Moscow’s price

According to an exclusive Kyiv Independent report, Russia is asking the United States for sanctions relief as part of an energy ceasefire and wants to link it to a ceasefire in the Black Sea, US and Ukrainian officials told the paper. Publicly, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on October 8 that he saw no point in a sectoral ceasefire, since Kyiv is asking for a ceasefire “in an area that is its Achilles’ heel — the energy sector”. Privately, Russian officials have signaled that they would consider the initiative, the Kyiv Independent reports.

A senior Ukrainian defense official told the paper that Moscow is trying to inflict as much damage as possible on the energy system to gain leverage ahead of any negotiations. A Russian attack on October 8 caused widespread power outages in Kyiv.

Rubio: stalemate over Donetsk

Marco Rubio said on October 8 that ending the war through negotiations is currently unattainable, because Russia insists on taking the whole of Ukraine’s Donetsk region without a fight, a demand Kyiv has rejected. Zelensky replied that Washington cannot at the same time discuss economic projects with Russia and describe diplomacy as being at an impasse, hinting that secret US-Russia economic talks are under way. Asked what deals were being discussed, he said Ukraine “knows a lot” but added: “I’m simply not ready to talk about it publicly or in detail.”

What Moscow is asking for

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev visited the United States twice in September and, according to Ukrainian and US officials, told Witkoff and Kushner that Russia wants sanctions relief as part of a deal. It is unclear which sanctions. A European diplomat told the Kyiv Independent that Moscow may be seeking the release of frozen Russian funds. “If they get sanctioned funds released … the likelihood that these will be used to escalate (war) is almost guaranteed,” he said.

Kyiv’s position is that any pause in attacks on energy infrastructure must be reciprocal, with no additional concessions for Russia. According to Ukrainian officials cited by the paper, Trump wants to show progress before the US midterm elections. When Zelensky met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Kyiv on October 4, Witkoff messaged him that Washington wanted a trilateral meeting in late October, but Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on October 7 that there were no such plans.

Update: Trump’s diesel announcement

On Friday, October 9, as the Ukrainian team was departing, Trump announced a deal with Putin on Russian diesel supplies and a temporary US sanctions license for Russian diesel valid until April 7, 2027. Zelensky called the easing “an obvious weakness”, NBC News reports, and the outlet noted that it was unclear whether the talks with Witkoff and Kushner would continue as planned.