The United States has proposed holding a trilateral meeting with Ukraine and Russia at the technical level in late October. Kyiv supports the initiative and is awaiting Moscow's response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a joint briefing with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to Zelensky's Telegram channel. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Washington's initiative

According to Zelensky, Washington maintains contacts with both sides and proposes organizing a new meeting. The United Arab Emirates or another country proposed by the US could serve as a possible venue.

"The American side today is in contact with both Ukraine and Russia," the president said.

At the same time, Zelensky clarified that he does not know whether the corresponding proposal has been conveyed to Moscow.

"I know that they will offer this to the Russian side as well, or have already offered it, I don't know the specifics," he noted.

Ukraine views the initiative positively and is ready to wait for Russia's reaction. The specific date and venue of the meeting have not yet been determined.

Merz's visit to Kyiv

The statement was made during Merz's visit to Kyiv on October 4. The chancellor arrived in the Ukrainian capital amid an air raid alert and explosions.

According to Reuters, Germany and Ukraine have agreed on joint production of drones, missiles with a range of more than 1000 kilometers, and satellite equipment for target detection.

One area of cooperation will be the accelerated production of interceptor drones to counter high-speed Russian drones.

In addition, Berlin has prepared a 1.35 billion euro aid package for Ukraine. Of this amount, 1 billion euros is earmarked for military support, and another 350 million euros for the restoration of the energy sector.

Building where people died

During the visit, Merz and Zelensky visited a damaged building where people died. The chancellor condemned attacks on civilian infrastructure and addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"From this moment I can only repeat: Mr. Putin, put an end to this senseless war," Merz said.

He emphasized readiness for talks to end the war and stated that attacks on Ukraine's civilian population must stop.