US wants Russia-Ukraine peace talks this winter to end war: Officials

The United States is nudging Ukraine to seriously consider the idea of entering negotiations with Russia this winter to stop the ongoing conflict as it doubts none of the two parties can achieve all its goals on the battlefield, NBC News reported on Wednesday.

Last week, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior Ukrainian officials and raised the need for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, emphasizing that Kiev's leverage in any possible talks with Moscow would be strengthened, as per the report, which did not give clear details on how such leverage would be strengthened.

Several US and Western officials believe that neither Ukraine nor Russia will have the ability to take over the whole country and want both parties to enter negotiations this winter as fighting is expected to slow down, the report said, adding that officials doubt Ukraine can remove Russian troops from the occupied areas, the report said.

The United States and its allies consider having this winter Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mediate potential peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, and Erdogan has shown a willingness to achieve that goal, the report added.

In the event that negotiations seem possible, the United States and its allies will want to avoid being noticed as pushing Ukraine into negotiations with Russia, "especially if that involves a formal arrangement that Russian-occupied areas in eastern Ukraine become Russian territory," the report said.