Putin announces readiness to resume talks with Ukraine and the US
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced Moscow's readiness to resume trilateral talks involving Ukraine and the US in mid-November. The main topic is expected to be the security system after the war ends. However, there are no concrete agreements yet on holding a new round.
This was reported on October 21 by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov following Putin's meeting with US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg.
According to Ushakov, the Russian president told the American representative about Moscow's fundamental readiness to return to talks in the Russia–US–Ukraine format. As a possible timeframe, Moscow named the second ten days of November.
"The President informed Steve Witkoff that we are, in principle, ready to resume the aforementioned trilateral talks in the second ten days of November," — said Putin's aide.
He specified that the central issue of future consultations should be the formation of a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the war ends. At the same time, the Russian side did not reveal the specific parameters of such a system.
According to Ushakov, Witkoff positively received Putin's statement and expressed confidence that US President Donald Trump would be satisfied with Moscow's readiness to resume talks.
The meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted about three hours and took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg. Ushakov and the Russian President's special representative Kirill Dmitriev also participated in the negotiations.
As Axios reports, Witkoff brought updated American proposals to Russia for ending the war, prepared after consultations with the Ukrainian and European sides. He proposed returning to the trilateral format, including the participation of technical groups that could coordinate individual settlement issues.
Witkoff stated that the prepared documents contain approaches to a possible peace agreement and asked Putin to study them. At the same time, the content of the submitted proposals was not fully disclosed, and Moscow did not announce their acceptance.
After the talks, Ushakov said that the American representative briefed Putin on the results of the meetings in Oslo. According to the Kremlin aide's assessment, some new elements have appeared in the positions of Kyiv and European states, but the Russian side considers them insufficient for settling the war.
The day before, on October 20, Witkoff held talks in Norway with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The American president's representative Jared Kushner participated in the discussions remotely.
According to a statement from the Office of the President of Ukraine, the parties discussed proposals for ending the war and further diplomatic steps.
In turn, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre reported that the participants considered issues of Ukraine's security, territories, sanctions, post-war economic recovery, and the future architecture of European security.
At the same time, the parties' positions on the further negotiation format differ. Zelenskyy advocated for a possible trilateral meeting directly between the leaders of Ukraine, the US, and Russia to discuss issues requiring decisions at the highest political level. Moscow, for now, has expressed readiness to return to negotiations, but has not confirmed Putin's agreement to a personal meeting with the Ukrainian president.
During his speech in Oslo, Zelenskyy also reminded that Kyiv had previously supported the American proposal for a mutual cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure. According to the Ukrainian president, the Russian side refused this initiative and continued attacks.
Shortly before the meeting with Witkoff, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow's position on the cessation of hostilities has not changed. As Euronews reports, the Russian leadership still insists on a comprehensive peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also indicated that Moscow is ready to consider American proposals, but does not intend to promise political concessions in advance.
In addition to the war against Ukraine, Putin and Witkoff discussed the prospects for restoring economic relations between Russia and the US, including the supply of Russian diesel fuel to international markets. Another topic was the situation around Iran. The Russian side declared its readiness to facilitate a diplomatic settlement of the conflict in the Middle East.
Thus, the Kremlin's statement opens the possibility of returning to trilateral consultations after a long break, but does not yet indicate a convergence of positions on the terms of ending the war.
As of October 21, the date and location of the next round have not been officially agreed upon. There is also no confirmation that the parties have reached a compromise on territorial issues, security guarantees, or a ceasefire. The final decision on holding the talks and the composition of the delegations has not yet been announced.
