Touting battlefield successes, Ukraine leans into peace talks

Ukraine is hoping to reach a peace deal with Russia by winter, a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday.“This is the president's ⁠instruction: to try to end this war as soon as possible ... preferably before winter,” Kyrylo Budanov, Zelensky’s chief of staff, said Monday, adding that the goal is “timely and realistic.”The comment came a day after Zelensky himself said he wanted serious progress on talks in the next few months, citing his desire to capitalize on recent Ukr...