Putin says Russia ready to resume trilateral Ukraine talks in November
US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21 after talks in Oslo with Ukraine and European partners. The Kremlin said Russia was generally ready to resume trilateral negotiations in the second ten days of November, while Ukrainian and European participants described the Oslo proposals as progress toward ending the war.
Key points
- Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg on October 21 and met Putin at the Konstantinovsky Palace.
- The roughly three-hour meeting focused primarily on the war in Ukraine.
- Russia said it was generally ready to resume trilateral talks in the second ten days of November.
- The proposed format would bring together Russia, the United States and Ukraine, with post-conflict security arrangements as a central topic.
- Oslo talks on October 20 involved Zelensky, Witkoff, Jonas Gahr Støre, Alexander Stubb and European representatives.
- Witkoff said the Oslo talks were productive and that there was a basis for a ceasefire.
- Ukraine said it was prepared to freeze the front along current lines while seeking strong security guarantees.
- The Kremlin said there was "not much of use" in the Ukrainian and European approaches.
Why it matters
A possible resumption of trilateral talks could reopen a direct negotiation channel involving Russia, the United States and Ukraine. The reported agenda would include post-conflict security arrangements, while the Oslo discussions also covered immediate measures such as air defense, protection of energy infrastructure and a possible partial ceasefire.
What happened
Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg after meeting Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo. Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said the war in Ukraine was the central topic of the approximately three-hour meeting. Witkoff presented documents containing approaches developed after the Oslo talks and said there was groundwork for a ceasefire, while also calling for renewed Russia-U.S.-Ukraine negotiations. Kremlin officials said Moscow was generally ready to resume trilateral talks in the second ten days of November and suggested post-conflict security arrangements would be a main subject. They also said the Ukrainian and European proposals contained little of use.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage emphasized Zelensky's readiness to freeze hostilities along the current front line, provided that Ukraine secured strong guarantees against renewed Russian aggression. Ukrainian participants also stressed that Ukraine must take part in any negotiations and said the eventual agreement should be approved by parliament and a referendum. The renewed diplomatic contacts were presented as a positive opening, but Ukrainian commentary cautioned that Moscow's willingness to compromise remained unproven.
How international sources describe it
U.S. and European accounts focused on the transfer of a coordinated proposal from Oslo to Moscow and on the possibility of direct trilateral or broader multilateral negotiations. European participants stressed that Ukraine and Russia would eventually need to negotiate at the same table with Europe represented. The Kremlin presented the talks as conditional and emphasized security arrangements after the war, potential U.S.-Russian economic projects and its doubts about the value of the Ukrainian and European proposals.
Where reporting differs
European and U.S.-linked accounts described substantial working-level alignment and meaningful progress on next steps in Oslo, while the Kremlin said the Ukrainian and European approaches contained little of use. Accounts also differed on whether the Oslo talks primarily prepared a broader framework for ending the war or produced concrete short-term measures on air defense, energy protection and a partial ceasefire. Trump said Putin and Zelensky did not necessarily need to be in the same room, whereas Zelensky proposed direct leader-level participation and Moscow had previously said such a meeting belonged only at the final stage.
Background
The October 20 Oslo meeting followed U.S.-Ukrainian-EU national-security talks in Miami about two weeks earlier. Ukraine and its Western partners had been discussing security guarantees, territorial issues, sanctions and post-war recovery. Moscow had previously said a Zelensky-Putin-Trump meeting was appropriate only at the final stage of negotiations.