Putin Agrees in Principle to Resume Ukraine Peace Talks With US in November

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed in principle to resume trilateral peace talks with Ukraine and the United States around November 10, the Kremlin has said, raising the prospect of renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war even as Russian forces continue attacks on Ukrainian cities.

The announcement followed a meeting between Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on Wednesday, October 21. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said Moscow was prepared to restart negotiations involving the three countries, with discussions expected to focus on post-war security arrangements for Russia and Ukraine.

Ushakov said the proposed talks could begin on or after November 10, although a final date and venue had not been formally confirmed. Reuters reported that the Kremlin had identified Abu Dhabi as a possible location and that the negotiations would take place at the technical level, rather than immediately bringing the three countries’ leaders together.

The meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted nearly three hours and formed part of Washington’s renewed efforts to broker a settlement. Witkoff had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo, Norway, a day earlier, where discussions centred on proposals for ending the conflict. He subsequently travelled to Russia to brief Putin on the outcome and present documents outlining possible approaches to a peace agreement.

According to the Kremlin, Moscow remains dissatisfied with some aspects of the proposals discussed in Oslo. Ushakov said the ideas presented did not fully meet Russia’s expectations, although he acknowledged that the discussions had introduced new elements into the diplomatic process.

The proposed negotiations would follow earlier rounds of US-mediated talks held in Abu Dhabi in January and February and Geneva in February. Those meetings produced limited progress beyond prisoner exchanges, as Russia and Ukraine remained divided over the terms of a settlement. The diplomatic process subsequently stalled amid wider regional hostilities.

The central disagreements remain substantial. Moscow has maintained its demands for control over the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, restrictions on Ukraine’s future membership of NATO and a comprehensive settlement addressing what it describes as the underlying causes of the conflict. Kyiv, meanwhile, has resisted territorial concessions and continued to press for security arrangements capable of preventing another Russian invasion.

Zelenskyy has expressed support for renewed negotiations but has cautioned against assuming that Moscow’s latest declaration will necessarily lead to progress. He has argued that ending the fighting requires meaningful commitments from Russia, while maintaining that a ceasefire would be a necessary step towards a durable settlement.

The fragile diplomatic opening was underscored on Thursday, October 22, when Russian missile and drone attacks struck Kyiv, killing one person and injuring 22, according to Ukrainian authorities cited by the Associated Press. The strikes damaged homes, transport infrastructure and other civilian sites across several districts of the capital, with emergency crews responding to fires and damaged buildings.

The attacks came only hours after the Kremlin announced Putin’s readiness to resume three-way negotiations, highlighting the gap between diplomatic engagement and conditions on the battlefield. Both Russia and Ukraine have continued long-range attacks during previous attempts to negotiate an end to the war, and the latest strikes provided no indication that a ceasefire had been agreed.

The US effort is being led by President Donald Trump’s administration, which has pressed both sides to reach a settlement. Witkoff’s discussions with Putin and Zelenskyy form part of a broader attempt to develop a framework that could address territorial disputes, security guarantees and the arrangements required after hostilities end.

However, the positions of the two warring countries remain far apart, and no breakthrough was announced following the St Petersburg meeting. The Kremlin’s statement establishes a willingness to return to negotiations in principle, not an agreed peace deal, a ceasefire or a confirmed summit between Putin and Zelenskyy.

The proposed November talks could provide another opportunity for Washington, Moscow and Kyiv to test whether their competing demands can be reconciled. Their significance will depend on whether the parties move beyond agreeing to meet and make progress on the issues that have repeatedly stalled earlier negotiations, particularly territory, security guarantees and the conditions under which the fighting could stop.