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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday the US is pushing for new three-way peace talks with Ukraine and Russia by the end of October, as both sides threaten to ramp up their attacks.

Getting into it: Speaking at a news conference in Kyiv with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelensky said he spoke with US negotiators Saturday and that Washington is proposing technical-level talks, possibly in the United Arab Emirates, which has hosted past rounds. US-led peace efforts have mostly been on hold since the war with Iran began in February, but envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv and Moscow in early September, and President Trump has since pushed both sides to stop hitting each other’s energy infrastructure.

Negotiators are likely to take up an energy ceasefire and a restart of grain shipments through the Black Sea. The Kremlin signaled last month it was open to a three-way meeting in October, but past rounds haven’t produced real progress, with Moscow refusing to back off its demands.

At the same time, the fighting is escalating. Zelensky said Ukraine will keep hitting Russian oil refineries and claimed Ukrainian intelligence obtained documents showing Russian President Vladimir Putin approved broader attacks on infrastructure, including “roads, schools, hospitals,” to “pressure people to leave the capital.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday it will intensify strikes on military and industrial sites in Kyiv and other regions, saying Ukrainians “should blame only the head of the Kyiv regime.” Each side insists it isn’t going after civilians. Moscow has openly named Ukraine’s power grid as a target heading into winter, after strikes last year left people without power and heat in temperatures as low as minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

This all comes as the UN reports Russian strikes killed more Ukrainian civilians in the first eight months of this year than in all of 2025, with at least 372 more killed in September alone. Meanwhile, India says it wants to play a bigger role in brokering an end to the war.