Kremlin says Russia is ready to resume trilateral Ukraine talks around 10 November after Putin meets Witkoff

Russia is ready, “in principle”, to resume three-way talks with the United States and Ukraine around 10 November, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said after President Vladimir Putin met US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on 21 October. According to Ushakov, the talks would address a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the end of the conflict. The account below rests on the Kremlin’s published texts; Kyiv’s own position is reported separately further down.

What the Kremlin says was agreed

The meeting took place at the Constantine Palace and lasted nearly three hours, Ushakov said. investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev attended for Russia, and Jared Kushner joined by videoconference because he could not travel for health reasons, according to Ushakov. It was the ninth meeting between Putin and US representatives, he added.

Ushakov said Witkoff briefed Putin on his talks in Oslo on 20 October with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives of several European countries, NATO and the European Commission. In Ushakov’s words, there was “little in them that could help resolve the Ukraine crisis”. Witkoff, speaking at the start of the meeting, described the Oslo talks as productive and said he hoped for “resumption, potentially, of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States” so that technical teams could discuss next steps.

Ushakov said Putin told Witkoff that Russia is ready in principle to resume the format around 10 November. He said Witkoff replied that President Donald Trump would welcome such a decision. Ushakov also blamed the Ukrainian side for the failure of an earlier plan to restart the talks straight after Russia’s State Duma elections, claiming Ukraine launched large-scale strikes on the main voting day. That is a Russian claim; Geopolitiki has not found an official Ukrainian statement answering it.

Ushakov further said Putin described the situation on the line of contact as one in which the strategic initiative remains with Russian troops, and that Russian forces are striking Ukrainian military-industrial, energy and logistics facilities. These are claims by the Russian side and have not been independently confirmed.

Prisoner release and other topics

According to Ushakov, Putin pardoned US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had been serving a sentence in Russia, after repeated US requests on humanitarian grounds. He said Hubbard was handed to Witkoff at Pulkovo Airport. Witkoff thanked Putin for the release in the opening remarks published by the Kremlin.

Ushakov said the two sides also discussed Russian diesel supplies to US and global markets, following the US decision to lift certain sanctions on Russian diesel, as well as the Middle East and Iran. He added that a possible first meeting of the Russian, US and Chinese leaders at the APEC summit in Shenzhen had been mentioned, and that no capital involved had rejected the idea.

Kyiv’s position

Zelensky said on 21 October that Ukraine supports resuming trilateral talks and wants them held quickly, according to France 24. The outlet reported that he said Kyiv had been told Russia backs a meeting at the level of the negotiating teams. Geopolitiki could not open the Ukrainian presidency’s website from its servers, so Kyiv’s side rests on that report and should be read as such. Earlier this week Zelensky also said, in an interview covered in our report, that Ukraine is open to a ceasefire along the current front lines: Zelensky: “Yes, right now we must freeze” – Kyiv open to a ceasefire along current front lines, then security guarantees.

Background

Witkoff’s trip to Oslo and then to Russia, with a joint US, Ukraine and European proposal, was covered in Witkoff heads to Oslo to meet Zelensky, then to Russia for Putin – the new joint US, Ukraine and Europe peace proposal. No venue or firm date for the next trilateral round had been announced by either government in the sources read. The Kremlin’s full texts are available in its commentary by Ushakov and the opening remarks of the meeting.