Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, stated that the first tangible results in the peace process with Russia could be achieved by the end of September 2026. According to him, a key stage will be the meeting with the American team in New York at the end of the current month, to which the Ukrainian side is actively preparing at the level of national security advisors.
Diplomatic pause during the State Duma elections
Zelensky explicitly noted that "there will most likely not be any truly strong negotiations during the Russian State Duma elections." The Russian parliamentary elections are scheduled for September 20, and, according to Kyiv's assessment, this period will not allow for substantive negotiations. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian leader emphasized that every day his national security advisors are in contact with the American team and are discussing preparations for a trilateral meeting, as well as possible scenarios for its outcome.
New York and Abu Dhabi: two negotiation tracks
According to Zelensky, at the end of September Kyiv will have the opportunity to meet with the American team in New York. Meanwhile, Russian President's aide Yuri Ushakov previously stated that a new trilateral meeting of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States could take place in Abu Dhabi. Thus, the diplomatic track features two different formats and two different locations: a bilateral contact in New York and a potential trilateral meeting in the UAE. Both options do not exclude each other and may represent sequential stages of the negotiation process.
Washington's position: readiness after the elections
U.S. President's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, after their visit to Moscow, reported that Russian officials would be ready to resume peace negotiations after the completion of the State Duma elections. This confirms Zelensky's thesis that substantive dialogue will begin precisely after September 20. The Ukrainian leader also emphasized that the Americans "need to take strong steps before winter," which are needed not only by Ukraine but also by Europe and the world as a whole.
The Black Sea issue as a pressure factor
Separately, Zelensky drew attention to a topic that, in his words, "all partners in the world are now raising" — the supply of Ukrainian agricultural products, blocked by Russian attacks in the Black Sea. This aspect, it seems, will be included in the agenda of upcoming negotiations as one of the key economic and humanitarian issues requiring a resolution within the framework of a peace settlement.
Contradictory data
There are differences in the statements of the parties in describing the format and location of the upcoming contacts. Zelensky speaks of a meeting with the American team in New York and preparations for a "trilateral meeting," without naming its location. Ushakov, in turn, points to Abu Dhabi as a possible venue for precisely the trilateral format. Moreover, Zelensky formulates the timeline as "first results by the end of September," whereas Witkoff and Kushner limit themselves to stating Moscow's readiness to return to negotiations "after the completion of the elections" without tying it to a specific date. The difference in emphasis — bilateral contact versus trilateral meeting, New York versus Abu Dhabi — may reflect both a difference in diplomatic tracks and an intentional vagueness of formulations at the preparation stage.
Context and prospects
Zelensky's statements came against the backdrop of ongoing efforts to build a peace process in which the United States acts as the key mediator. The combination of factors — the completion of Russian elections, daily contact between Ukrainian and American advisors, partners' readiness to discuss the Black Sea issue — indicates that the second half of September 2026 may become a turning point in the diplomatic track. At the same time, the Ukrainian leader emphasizes: "There is only one way to stop this war, there is no other path."
