Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine as early as next month, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, following a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
The meeting marked the ninth time Witkoff has met Putin in person as US President Donald Trump seeks to broker an end to the conflict, Europe’s deadliest war since World War II.
The Kremlin said the proposed trilateral negotiations, involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States, could take place in Abu Dhabi and focus on security guarantees for both Russia and Ukraine after the war. The technical-level talks could begin on or after November 10, it added.
The latest diplomatic push comes more than two years after Trump pledged during his successful election campaign to end the war within 24 hours.
Talks Begin With Prisoner Release
The St Petersburg meeting began with what the Kremlin described as a goodwill gesture: the release of Stephen Hubbard, a retired American schoolteacher detained in Russia, whose release Trump had requested from Putin.
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The discussions lasted nearly three hours and took place amid concerns in Kyiv and among its allies that Washington was reducing its support for Ukraine, including through reported disruptions to intelligence sharing and military communications.
The last round of US-mediated peace talks took place in February, before the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran.
The Kremlin, however, expressed reservations about the outcome of discussions Witkoff held a day earlier in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leaders of Finland and Norway, and European and NATO representatives.
Witkoff told Putin that the Oslo discussions had shown “some degree of momentum”, while a US official said Ukraine had presented new ideas and proposals.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow was not entirely satisfied with the proposals and developments emerging from those discussions.
Russia and Ukraine Remain Far Apart
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts, Russia and Ukraine remain sharply divided over the terms of a possible settlement.
Putin has shown few signs of abandoning his central war objectives, which include securing full Russian control of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, preventing Ukraine from joining NATO and pursuing a comprehensive peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire.
Witkoff said he had brought documents containing ideas for a potential peace deal for Putin to review. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also wanted to convey proposals to the Russian president and later joined the meeting remotely by phone.
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special investment envoy, also attended the talks. According to the Kremlin, the participants discussed major joint economic projects, including some it said were close to being realised.
Zelenskyy said he hoped to address key issues related to ending the war during a possible trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump.
The Kremlin has repeatedly said that any direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would require extensive advance preparation by aides to ensure meaningful negotiations.
Trump intensified pressure on Kyiv on Tuesday, saying it was time for Ukraine to end the war or face “a very bad thing”.
Putin Offers Help on Iran and US Agriculture
The discussions also covered issues beyond Ukraine. Putin offered to help Trump address concerns over Iran, citing Russia’s longstanding relationship with Tehran and Moscow’s repeated offers to use those ties to address US concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme.
Putin told Witkoff that reaching an agreement with Tehran was both possible and necessary, according to the Kremlin.
The Russian president also offered to supply large quantities of fertiliser to the United States to support American farmers.
A potential meeting in China next month involving Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was also discussed. The Kremlin said Beijing was preparing for what it described as the first meeting of its kind in history.
US-Ukraine Relations Face Further Strain
Relations between Washington and Kyiv have deteriorated amid disagreements over US policy towards Russia and reports of interruptions to Ukraine’s access to intelligence and military communications.
Ukraine has complained of disruptions to some intelligence-sharing arrangements and its use of the Starshield military satellite system. Zelenskyy said Tuesday’s Oslo meeting had produced an agreement to resolve those issues.
The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter, reported on Wednesday that billionaire Elon Musk had ordered a slowdown the previous week of a military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service used by Ukraine to track Russian ballistic missile strikes.
Reuters said it could not immediately verify the report.
Musk has said decisions of this kind are made by the US military or the president. Trump denied responsibility, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated on Wednesday that Washington had not withdrawn Ukraine’s ability to access Starlink.
The proposed November negotiations could provide another opportunity to narrow the differences between Moscow and Kyiv, although major disagreements over territory, security guarantees and Ukraine’s future relationship with NATO remain unresolved.
