Kremlin says no progress yet in Ukraine war talks

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that no progress has been made in negotiations aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, telling state news agency TASS that Moscow continues its military campaign while maintaining openness to diplomatic channels. "As for resuming trilateral negotiations, we are open to it. Yes, we are continuing the special military operation, and our military is working to achieve the set objectives. But we do hope that we will ultimately resume trilateral negotiations," Peskov said.

Russia has signaled interest in restarting three-way negotiations with Ukraine and the United States, with October discussed as a possible timeframe for the talks to resume amid ongoing military operations.

US envoys shuttle between capitals

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow on September 5 for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin before heading to Kyiv the following day for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to diplomatic sources. While no breakthrough was announced following the meetings, former President Donald Trump stated that Putin wants to reach a deal to end the war and suggested a trilateral summit involving both leaders could take place.

Ukrainian attacks during Russian elections

Peskov accused Ukrainian forces of launching "massive attacks" during Russia's three-day parliamentary election in an effort to disrupt the voting process, calling the actions "sabotage" that ultimately failed to affect the outcome. "It constitutes sabotage. It is also an attempt to disrupt these elections. It had no effect," he said, referring to the election for the 450-seat State Duma that concluded Sunday.

Russia's Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian forces attempted a mass attack using drones and Flamingo cruise missiles to interfere with the election, stating that Russian air defenses destroyed 1,951 drones and eight long-range cruise missiles over a 24-hour period. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the capital repelled its largest drone attack to date, with more than 1,600 drones intercepted including approximately 450 approaching the city.

The parliamentary vote marked Russia's first since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with balloting also held in Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine — a move condemned by Kyiv and Western governments as unlawful.