Kremlin Ready to Resume Trilateral Talks With Ukraine and US in Early November
Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Moscow is ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US in the first ten days of November. The main topic would be a post-war security system for Russia and Ukraine.
Russia is ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States on ending the war in the first ten days of November. Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said so after US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg. The main topic would be building a security system for both Russia and Ukraine once the conflict ends.
Oslo meeting and trip to St Petersburg
In Oslo, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with European allies and then met Witkoff. After receiving Kyiv's views on the American peace plan, the envoy travelled to St Petersburg, where he spoke with Putin and his team for almost three hours. Neither side disclosed details of the talks.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said several elements of a future peace agreement were discussed in Oslo, including security and economic matters. Zelensky said Ukraine is not losing the war but is losing people, and expressed hope for help from the US and Europe.
Comments from the Kremlin and Washington
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said understanding with Europe over the war had begun to improve, though objective statements were still far off. Ushakov said the current plan could work because the sides had focused on security. According to him, Witkoff noted that Trump would welcome such a decision with great satisfaction.
Trump said sanctions are not imposed while delicate negotiations are under way. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that Ukraine's main task is to secure its long-term security. Democrats and some Republicans in the US criticise the administration's approach, as it is building friendlier ties with Moscow instead of imposing sanctions.
Dispute over Donbas
The main sticking point remains the Donbas territory within its administrative borders. Russia wants full control, while Ukraine holds part of the Donetsk region. The Atlantic reports that Trump wants a peace deal in December at the G20 summit in Miami and that the US is pressuring Ukraine by halting Patriot air-defence missile deliveries and limiting Starlink speeds.
