Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that Russia is prepared to resume trilateral peace negotiations with the United States and Ukraine after November 10, following a meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg.
The meeting, which lasted approximately three hours on Wednesday, October 21, formed part of Washington’s ongoing efforts to broker an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Putin expressed willingness to restart the negotiations and discuss a possible security framework for both countries after the conflict ends. However, Moscow has yet to provide details of the security arrangements it would support.
Ushakov also suggested that the next round of trilateral discussions could take place in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, said he wanted the meeting to take place no later than early November, expressing concern over previous attempts to organise negotiations that were later cancelled.
“Russia said many times it is ready for a meeting and then things changed and got cancelled,” Zelensky said, adding that he hoped the latest effort would produce a different outcome.
Witkoff described his discussions with both Putin and Zelensky as constructive, saying the talks would continue through the proposed trilateral negotiations. He reiterated US President Donald Trump’s commitment to ending the war and securing a lasting peace agreement.
According to a US official, Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner proposed the trilateral meeting, which Ukraine accepted during discussions in Norway and Russia agreed to consider following the St. Petersburg meeting.
Despite the diplomatic engagement, significant differences remain between Moscow and Kyiv.
Russia has previously demanded that Ukraine surrender the entire eastern Donbas region, reduce the size of its military and abandon its ambition to join NATO. Ukraine and its allies have rejected territorial concessions and insisted on security guarantees to prevent another Russian invasion.
During discussions in Norway, US and Ukrainian officials reportedly made progress on proposals covering long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, post-war economic recovery and a broader European security framework.
However, Ushakov played down the significance of the proposals, arguing that the new approaches presented by Ukraine and European countries offered little practical value towards resolving the conflict.
Zelensky has maintained that Ukraine is prepared to consider a ceasefire based on freezing the conflict along the current frontline, provided its allies offer meaningful security guarantees.
He has also insisted that Ukraine must be directly involved in any negotiations concerning its future, while expressing a preference for a process that includes European countries.
Beyond the war, Putin reportedly expressed interest in restoring economic cooperation with the United States. Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev said economic ties between the two countries could continue, including a recently announced agreement concerning diesel exports, despite criticism from European countries.
Another outcome of the meeting was the release of 74-year-old American Stephen Hubbard, who had been detained in Russia for more than four years. Witkoff praised Putin for pardoning Hubbard, describing the move in humanitarian terms.
The discussions also touched on Russia’s potential role in addressing the conflict in Iran and possible exports of Russian fertiliser to the United States. Kushner, who has participated in the peace efforts, joined the later discussions remotely because he was ill.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has maintained a tougher position, stating that Moscow does not expect a breakthrough and will not make political concessions.
Although the latest meetings have raised hopes for renewed diplomacy, it remains uncertain whether Russia and Ukraine can overcome their differences on territory, military restrictions and long-term security arrangements to reach a lasting agreement.
