Putin open to renewed Russia, Ukraine and US talks after meeting Trump envoy
Russian officials say three-way peace talks could resume in November after Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg. No meeting date has been announced.
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in principle on Oct. 21 to resume three-way peace talks with Ukraine and the United States after Nov. 10, his foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said following Putin’s meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg. The announcement raises the prospect of renewed negotiations over the war, but no meeting date has been confirmed.
Ushakov said the proposed talks would focus on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends, according to Global News. The Guardian reported that the Kremlin was open to holding the talks in Abu Dhabi. That location was presented as a possibility, not a confirmed venue.
What Putin and Witkoff discussed
Reuters, in a report republished by The Straits Times, said Witkoff urged Putin to consider resuming US-mediated talks and brought ideas for a potential peace deal. The Kyiv Independent reported Putin’s account that the Kremlin was ready to resume trilateral talks in mid-November. Global News attributed the more specific ‘after Nov. 10’ timing to Ushakov; neither account establishes a scheduled meeting.
The Kyiv Independent said Russian state media described the Putin-Witkoff discussion as covering a specific framework for the proposed talks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media that President Donald Trump was sincere and consistent in seeking a peaceful resolution, the outlet reported.
Ukraine’s proposals before the St Petersburg meeting
Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European allies in Oslo on Oct. 20, before travelling to meet Putin, according to The Kyiv Independent. Reuters quoted a US official who said Ukraine presented new ideas there and that the discussions made ‘meaningful progress’ toward a coordinated approach to Russia.
The official said the Oslo discussions covered security guarantees for Ukraine, a post-war economic plan and a wider European security architecture, Reuters reported. Those subjects explain the diplomatic groundwork for Witkoff’s visit; Russian officials have yet to announce an agreed agenda or final format for renewed three-way talks.
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Sources and context
- Putin to resume three-way talks with Ukraine, Washington: KremlinGlobal News
- Trump envoy asks Putin to resume three-way Ukraine peace talks, secures release of US citizenReuters (republished by The Straits Times)
- Kremlin 'ready' to resume trilateral peace talks with US, Ukraine, Putin claimsThe Kyiv Independent
- Putin orders release of jailed American as he meets Trump envoy for Ukraine talksThe Guardian
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.