Russia Backs Three-Way Peace Talks

Russia has agreed to rejoin three-way negotiations with the United States and Ukraine next month. A Kremlin official confirmed on Wednesday that President Vladimir Putin gave his approval "in principle" to restart the dialogue after Nov. 10. This marks a significant shift in diplomatic posture after months of stalled efforts. The discussions are set to focus on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine once the conflict concludes.

The agreement emerged following a meeting in St. Petersburg between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. The conversation lasted approximately three hours and included foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov and presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, participated in the discussion via video link. During these talks, Witkoff and Kushner proposed a three-way meeting at the technical level. They also shared details regarding their recent discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This diplomatic push follows a series of high-level contacts in Oslo. Just a day prior to the St. Petersburg meeting, Witkoff met with Zelenskyy and European leaders in Norway. While Ushakov noted that proposals from the Oslo meeting "contained little of real value" for resolving the crisis, he later admitted to Russian state television that they represent a step in the right direction. Despite Moscow not being "fully satisfied" with the Oslo proposals, the willingness to proceed with talks has increased.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced support for the rapid resumption of negotiations. In an audio message issued late Wednesday, he outlined a clear agenda: ending the war and preparing for a potential meeting at the leaders' level. "The agenda is clear: to end the war, bring peace closer, and, as I understand it, prepare everything for a meeting at the leaders' level," Zelenskyy stated. However, he noted that Russia has previously canceled such plans, adding, "We’ll see what happens this time."

The timeline of these negotiations is lengthy. Representatives from the three nations held three rounds of talks early this year, convening twice in Abu Dhabi in January and February, and once in Geneva in February. Beyond exchanges of prisoners of war, little progress was reported as Moscow and Kyiv maintained their longstanding demands. Since early last year, the Trump administration's efforts to end the war have made no significant progress.

During the meeting in St. Petersburg, Putin expressed readiness to consider restoring economic ties between the U.S. and Russia. He also stated he was prepared to discuss the conflict with Iran, noting Moscow's ability to use its relationship with Tehran to aid peace efforts. Ushakov detailed that "large-scale joint economic projects that offer significant prospects for cooperation" were discussed with Witkoff. "Some of these are, in fact, nearing the implementation stage," Ushakov said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressing for a resolution. At the White House on Tuesday, he increased pressure on Zelenskyy to reach an agreement with Russia. "We want Zelenskyy to make a deal," Trump told reporters. "We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. We’ve gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss." He added that failing to reach a deal "is going to be a very bad thing."

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre commented on the situation after meeting with Witkoff in Oslo. He suggested that a new phase of diplomacy may be beginning. "I think we may have entered a phase now where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy," Støre told the broadcaster. He indicated that new talks were likely to happen in mid-November.

The diplomatic maneuvering continues alongside active conflict. Overnight Russian attacks in Kyiv resulted in three deaths and injuries to 12 others, damaging ten residential buildings. Early Wednesday, energy facilities in Kyiv and three other cities were targeted. Outside Kharkiv, two people died and 11 others were wounded when drones exploded in a residential area. In other developments, Russia released a retired American teacher, Stephen Hubbard, which Witkoff described as a potential goodwill gesture.