Zelenskyy says Putin needs Trump and may de-escalate war for a diplomatic win

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes Vladimir Putin may be willing to de-escalate the war in Ukraine to hand Donald Trump a diplomatic victory, stating in an Axios interview that "Putin needs Trump." The statement follows a weekend diplomatic push by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who met Putin in Moscow before traveling to Kyiv to see Zelenskyy. The envoys reported Russia is now ready to discuss new proposals, though Zelenskyy cautioned against interpreting Moscow's signals as signs the war is ending. Zelenskyy suggests Putin wants to avoid provoking Trump and may seek to give him a foreign policy win before the U.S. midterm elections. Washington is exploring measures to reduce fighting through winter while pursuing broader peace talks, with a possible meeting at the U.N. General Assembly in New York later this month.