US-mediated diplomatic efforts intensified in early September 2026 when envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks with Putin in Moscow and Zelenskyy in Kyiv, leading to proposed trilateral discussions possibly in October. Zelenskyy offered a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the December G20 summit, but the Kremlin rejected the idea as impossible and reiterated that any direct engagement would require prior agreements and occur only in Moscow. Russian positions continue to emphasize territorial gains and resolution of underlying issues before leader-level talks, while Ukraine stresses that complex questions like borders must be addressed at the presidential level. Ongoing battlefield activity and drone exchanges have accompanied these diplomatic steps without producing a confirmed face-to-face encounter.