Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed in principle to resume trilateral negotiations with Washington and Kyiv on ending the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said Wednesday. The decision came after a roughly three-hour meeting in St. Petersburg between Putin and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's envoy, according to Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov.
Ushakov told reporters the talks, slated to begin after Nov. 10, will focus on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends. Witkoff's visit followed a meeting Tuesday in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, which Finnish President Alexander Stubb said made genuine progress. Zelenskyy said in a Fox News interview broadcast Wednesday that freezing the conflict is the minimum required from Russia and the real way to end the war.
Despite the diplomatic activity, the Trump administration's efforts since early last year have made no significant progress, and there was no suggestion of an imminent breakthrough. Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on settlement terms as their armies continue daily long-range strikes. Before the St. Petersburg talks, Witkoff described the Oslo meeting as productive and said there is some degree of momentum.
During the meeting, Putin thanked Trump and Witkoff for their peace efforts and said he was ready to consider restoring U.S.-Russia economic ties and discuss the U.S.-led conflict with Iran. Witkoff thanked Putin for lifting a ban on diesel exports, saying it would help U.S. farmers and truckers. Russia also released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard, who had been imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary, in what appeared to be a goodwill gesture after Trump asked Putin to free him.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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