Russia says it is ready to resume Ukraine talks with US in November

President Vladimir Putin is prepared in principle to resume three-way negotiations with Ukraine and the United States in November, his foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said after Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff near St Petersburg on Wednesday. Ushakov suggested a round between 10 and 19 November, focused on security arrangements for Russia and Ukraine after the war. He did not set a firm date. [1]

Witkoff had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo the previous day. Norway said they discussed Ukraine’s security, reconstruction and territorial questions. [2]

According to Axios, Witkoff asked Putin to consider renewed talks that could involve technical negotiating teams. An unnamed US official told Axios and the BBC that Ukraine had accepted the proposal in Oslo and Russia had accepted it near St Petersburg. That is an account of Kyiv’s position from a US official; Ushakov’s statement sets out Moscow’s willingness to meet. Zelenskyy has also said he believes only a summit of leaders can break the impasse. [4] [3] [5]

The three countries held three rounds of negotiations earlier this year, with little progress reported beyond prisoner exchanges. Ushakov criticised the proposals Witkoff brought from Oslo as having little value for a settlement, though he later described them as a step in the right direction. [5]

Renewed negotiations would not in themselves halt the fighting. On the day of Putin’s meeting with Witkoff, Ukrainian officials reported that overnight Russian attacks had killed five people in Kyiv and near Kharkiv. [5]