Russia ready for ‘new ideas’ on Ukraine war that match Putin’s goals

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkPeople look at smoke rising in the city during a Russian drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, August 20, 2026 [Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff and ReutersPublished On 21 Aug 202621 Aug 2026Moscow is ready to listen to new ideas for ending the war in Ukraine, provided they align with President Vladimir Putin’s position, a senior Russian diplomat has said.Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview published by News.ru on Friday that Russia is open to proposals that are in line with “realities on the ground”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Ex-defence chief’s call for wartime election raises pressure on Zelenskyylist 2 of 4‘Tremendous costs’: Can Trump stop other countries from trading with Iran?list 3 of 4How China and Russia could hobble Trump’s plans to isolate Iranlist 4 of 4Russian paramilitaries in Mali kill nine, including children: HRWend of listRyabkov’s words suggest that Moscow may be seeking to revive the Trump administration’s support for its agenda. Moscow previously welcomed the United States’ demonstrating “an understanding of Russia’s position”, but Washington has been distracted from mediation efforts amid its war on Iran.“The Russian Federation is ready to listen to any reasonable proposals and ideas that are in line with the goals set by the Russian president and meet the ‘realities on the ground’,” Ryabkov said.“At this stage, it is more important to what extent Washington is able to influence the decisions of the Kyiv regime and its European sponsors, who still dream of a ‘strategic defeat’ of Russia,” he added.Putin has previously demanded that before agreeing to a ceasefire in the war he launched in February 2022, Ukraine must hand over the whole of the eastern Donbas region, demilitarise, and pledge it will not seek to join NATO.Several rounds of US-brokered negotiations at the start of the year failed to reach a settlement. Further talks slated for early March were cancelled as the US launched its war on Iran alongside Israel. The meetings followed the circulation of a 28-point, Washington-generated peace plan last November that raised ire for its capitulations to Russian demands.US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff led the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv earlier this year, but the Kremlin said on Thursday that it has no new information on a potential visit from the duo.Ukraine is also awaiting the return of the US mediators. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday evening that he was “preparing decisions within the diplomatic team”.“New approaches are needed in some areas, particularly in the United States,” he said, adding: “Ukraine needs results.”Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump at the White House last month, where they discussed reviving the talks and plans for Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles.Ongoing attacksOn the ground, Russia and Ukraine have stepped up deadly attacks in recent weeks, with dozens killed and neighbouring nations becoming increasingly concerned about potential spillover.The hostilities continued overnight. In eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, Russian attacks killed two women, the state emergency services wrote on Telegram. The attack triggered fires at five residential buildings and several cars.Another attack on a home killed one person and injured another in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, governor Ivan Federov said.In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged an industrial facility in the Perm region in the Ural mountains, according to regional governor Dmitry Makhonin.Russian drones meanwhile damaged a border crossing with Moldova in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, Ukrainian authorities said.Finland’s border guard said a suspected Russian reconnaissance plane violated Finnish airspace in the western gulf on Thursday.