Putin starts talks with Witkoff: US proposes resuming trilateral meetings on Ukraine

On October 21, in Saint Petersburg, talks between Vladimir Putin and US President's Special Representative Steve Witkoff began. The American negotiator brought documents with proposals regarding the end of the war against Ukraine and expressed hope for the resumption of trilateral negotiations involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia.

This was reported by the Russian agency TASS. The meeting is taking place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Saint Petersburg.

At the beginning of the negotiations, Putin inquired about the results of the meetings that American representatives held the day before in Norway. Witkoff called the consultations in Oslo productive and reported that the parties had managed to achieve certain progress.

According to the American representative, there are already developments that could become the basis for a ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Witkoff expressed hope that Putin would consider the possibility of resuming negotiations in the Russia-US-Ukraine format. According to him, within such a dialogue, the parties could discuss technical issues of a future settlement.

The American negotiator also reported that he brought documents outlining approaches to ending the war in Ukraine. At the same time, he did not disclose their contents and did not specify what proposals these materials contain.

Currently, there is no confirmation that the Russian side has agreed to resume trilateral negotiations or has accepted the proposals presented by the American delegation.

Putin, for his part, thanked US President Donald Trump for his attention to the negotiation process. According to the Russian leader, during the last phone call, Trump emphasized the need to end the war and stop human losses.

Economic cooperation between Russia and the US

A separate topic of the meeting was the prospects for resuming economic relations between Moscow and Washington.

Putin stated Russia's interest in resuming economic cooperation with the United States. Witkoff, for his part, noted that after the end of the war against Ukraine, the two countries will have opportunities for the development of trade and investment relations.

During the negotiations, the American representative, on behalf of Trump, thanked Putin for the decision regarding the so-called diesel deal, which provides for the resumption of supplies of Russian diesel fuel to the American and global markets.

Putin claimed that after the decision on diesel, world prices allegedly fell by 5-6%. However, there is no independent confirmation of such a direct impact of the agreements on oil prices at this time.

The Russian leader also expressed readiness to increase exports of mineral fertilizers to the American market. The parties did not announce specific agreements on volumes or terms of possible supplies.

In addition, Putin reported on interest in Washington's assessments of the situation around Iran and stated Russia's readiness to facilitate the settlement of the conflict in the Middle East.

During the meeting, Witkoff also thanked the Russian side for the release of American Hubbart.

Negotiations in Oslo

The current meeting was a continuation of the diplomatic consultations that the American delegation held on October 20 in Norway.

In Oslo, Witkoff met with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Finland Alexander Stubb, and Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre. US President's representative Jared Kushner joined the discussions remotely.

According to the Office of the President of Ukraine, one of the key issues was security guarantees that should prevent a repeated Russian invasion after a possible cessation of hostilities.

The American side agreed with the need for reliable security guarantees. Witkoff also undertook to convey to the Russian side the proposals discussed during the consultations.

It was reported earlier that on the morning of October 21, the American representative arrived in Saint Petersburg, where he was met by Putin's special representative Kirill Dmitriev.

On the eve of the meeting, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the main topic of the meeting would be the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war. At the same time, he did not exclude that the negotiations might end without concrete agreements.

As of 12:13 Kyiv time, the meeting was ongoing. Reports of progress relate to the preliminary consultations of the American delegation with Ukraine and European partners. No agreements with Moscow on a ceasefire or the resumption of the trilateral format have been announced at this time.

Based on materials from: Russian media, Office of the President of Ukraine, 20.10.2026