Russia ready for 3-way talks on Ukraine war, Kremlin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed "in principle" willingness to resume talks with the United States and Ukraine regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to a Kremlin statement. During a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, in St. Petersburg, Putin indicated Moscow's readiness to engage in trilateral negotiations in November, as confirmed by senior aide Yuri Ushakov.

Ushakov further suggested that the conflict in Ukraine may be nearing its conclusion and that trilateral discussions could potentially occur in Abu Dhabi. Witkoff later confirmed on social media platform X that the talks would proceed on a technical level between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. This visit marked the latest in a series of U.S. efforts to engage Moscow in negotiations to end the war against Ukraine.

Witkoff also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo on Tuesday, where he announced a proposal for a three-way leaders' negotiation. Despite numerous rounds of discussions between the U.S. and Russia since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, previous talks have frequently amounted to political theater and failed to achieve significant progress on issues such as halting hostilities, prisoner exchanges, or a ceasefire regarding strikes on energy infrastructure.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that Moscow proposed a potential high-level summit with China and the U.S. to negotiate a deal on ending the war in Ukraine. Footage from Wednesday showed Witkoff praising Putin during their face-to-face meeting in St. Petersburg, following the Russians' release of a U.S. prisoner held captive.