October 11, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refused to consider the diplomatic path to end the war with Russia as having reached a dead end, contradicting the assessment of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and at the same time calling for tightening sanctions on Moscow and intensifying military pressure on it to push it towards the negotiating table.
Zelensky stressed, during a joint press conference with British Minister Ed Miliband in the Ukrainian city of Priluki, that “the diplomatic path is not blocked,” stressing that imposing more stringent sanctions on Russia will weaken its economy and limit its ability to produce weapons, which will force the Kremlin to accept negotiations.
The Ukrainian president’s position came in response to statements made by Rubio during a visit to Lisbon, in which he described the efforts aimed at ending the war as having reached a “dead end” and a “very dangerous situation.” He expressed his pessimism about the chances of reaching a negotiated settlement at the current stage during an interview with the Greek newspaper “Kathimerini”.
In a related context, Zelensky renewed his call for Washington to provide Internet service via “Starlink” satellites over Russian territory for the benefit of the Ukrainian army, considering that this step – which will not cost the United States anything – will enhance the military capabilities of his forces and push Moscow to negotiate, warning at the same time of the possibility of Moscow resorting to a similar Chinese satellite communications system.
Zelensky added that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be forced to sit at the negotiating table if Ukraine succeeded in establishing air superiority with its weapons, saying: “Why? Because he will lose everything… within three or two months.” He also criticized what he described as the United States’ unwillingness to exert sufficient pressure on the Kremlin.
These developments coincide with a high-ranking Ukrainian delegation heading to the United States to participate in two-day talks starting Friday to discuss new proposals to end the war.
The White House confirmed the meeting between US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Ukrainian officials. A senior US administration official explained that the meeting will discuss “a new, unified proposal that focuses on all aspects of the conflict in an attempt to end the war.”
According to Ukrainian media reports, the delegation includes Presidential Chief of Staff Kirilo Budanov, Rustam Umarov, David Arakhamiya, and Sergey Kyslytsya. National security advisors from Germany, France, and Britain are expected to participate in the talks, along with representatives of the European Union and NATO.
These moves reflect the continued discrepancy between Kiev and Washington regarding the chances of achieving a diplomatic breakthrough, as well as the remaining fundamental differences over the conditions for ending the war and security guarantees for Ukraine.
