The United States is privately encouraging Ukraine to signal it is open to negotiations with Russia, the Washington Post reported, as the State Department said Moscow was escalating the war and was not serious about engaging in peace talks. The newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying that the request by US officials was not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, but a calculated effort to ensure that Kyiv retains the support of other nations. U.S. and Ukrainian officials acknowledged that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ban on talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised concerns in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America, where the effects of the war on food and fuel costs are becoming more acute. the Post reported. “Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners,” a US official said on condition of anonymity. Zelensky signed a decree on October 4 officially declaring the prospect of any Ukrainian talks with Putin “impossible” but leaving the door open for talks with Russia. The White House National Security Council had no immediate comment on the accuracy of the report. A State Department spokesman responded: “We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Actions speak louder than words. If Russia is ready to negotiate, it should stop its bombs and missiles and withdraw its forces from Ukraine. “The Kremlin continues to escalate this war. The Kremlin has demonstrated its unwillingness to seriously engage in negotiations before even launching its invasion of Ukraine.” The spokesman also noted Zelensky’s statements on Friday, in which he said: “We are ready for peace, for a fair and just peace, the formula of which we have expressed many times.” On Sunday, Zelensky said on Twitter that he had spoken with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about macroeconomic financial aid to Ukraine and further sanctions on Iran. “He highlighted the importance of continuing the grains initiative for global food security. We discussed increasing sanctions and countering Iran, which supports aggression,” Zelensky wrote. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said during a visit to Kyiv on Friday that Washington’s support for Ukraine will remain “unwavering and unwavering” after Tuesday’s midterm congressional elections. The United States announced $400 million in additional security aid to Ukraine, including the Czech Republic’s refurbishment of T-72 tanks and HAWK air defense missiles that could be used against Russian drones and cruise missiles. The new aid brought the amount of US military aid sent to Kyiv to more than $18.2 billion since the invasion. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter that Ukraine would “stand” despite Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, adding that this would be done by using air defenses, protecting infrastructure and optimizing consumption. “Today, the situation with the supply of electricity to consumers in the capital is difficult,” the deputy head of the presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, wrote on Telegram, but assured Kiev residents that the outage was still under control. Citing emergency services, Russian news agencies reported Sunday that Ukraine’s massive Russian-controlled Nova Kakhovka dam was damaged by shelling by Ukrainian forces. The reports did not provide evidence to support the claim, which could not be immediately verified by Reuters. Russian state-run TASS quoted an emergency services spokesman as saying a missile fired from a US HIMARS missile system hit the dam’s lock and caused damage. The official said it was an “attempt to create the conditions for a humanitarian disaster” by breaching the dam. The dam, which blocks the Dnipro River upstream of the southern city of Kherson, where Ukrainian forces have advanced, has gained strategic importance in recent weeks. Since October, both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each of planning to breach the dam using explosives, in a move that would flood much of the region downstream, likely wreaking havoc around the Kherson-controlled city Russia. In the latest sign of Russia’s retreat in one of the most bitterly contested areas, Putin publicly approved the evacuation of civilians from areas of the Kherson region on Friday. Last week Russia said the evacuation zone would also include a 15-kilometer (10-mile) neutral zone on the east bank. Kyiv says the measures include forced deportations of civilians, a war crime, which Russia denies. Putin’s comments came amid indications that Russia could be preparing to abandon its military position on the west bank of the Dnipro, including the city of Kherson. The regional capital is the only major city Russia has captured intact since its invasion in February. His loss to the Russian forces would be one of the most serious blows of the war. The administration in the Russian-settled region of Kherson said several settlements, including the city of Kherson, lost water and electricity after what it said was a “terrorist attack” that knocked out three power lines in the region. It said the attack was organized by Ukraine, although it did not provide details. Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield accounts from either side. This content appears as provided to The Globe by the original wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.
