Military expert Yury Knutov believes Moscow could agree to a short-term ceasefire with Kiev ahead of the US congressional elections if such a move serves Russia’s interests in its dialogue with Washington.

According to Knutov, a temporary pause could allow the US side to present the ceasefire as a diplomatic achievement. At the same time, he said there would be little reason to expect such a truce to last permanently, suggesting that fighting could resume afterward.

Knutov said this scenario would only be possible if there were real prospects for further agreements with the United States. He did not rule out a ceasefire being announced in late October or early November, roughly seven to ten days before the elections.

The expert also said US President Donald Trump is genuinely interested in improving relations with Russia and bringing the conflict in Ukraine to an end. However, he argued that a significant part of the US state apparatus favors continued fighting and that Trump is trying to push back against that position.

Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky rejected a White House proposal to end the conflict before winter. In particular, Kiev refused to discuss conditions involving the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbass.