Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed “in principle” to resume trilateral peace talks with the United States and Ukraine aimed at ending the ongoing war, Kremlin officials announced Wednesday. The negotiations, which have not taken place since February, are expected to restart after November 10 and will focus on establishing a security framework for Russia and Ukraine once the conflict concludes.
The announcement followed a three-hour meeting in St. Petersburg between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who was accompanied by Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, and connected via video link to Jared Kushner, former senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump. Discussions covered a range of issues including a postwar economic plan, European security arrangements, and preparations for the upcoming trilateral meeting at the technical level. Putin and Witkoff also explored prospects for restoring U.S.-Russia economic ties and raised the possibility of a broader meeting involving the leaders of Russia, the United States, and China at an economic summit in China next month.
Witkoff’s visit came after meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo, Norway, intended to build momentum for renewed peace efforts. While Ushakov described the proposals emerging from Oslo as offering “little of real value” toward resolving the crisis, he characterized them as a tentative step forward. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre expressed cautious optimism, suggesting that Russia appears to be seeking diplomatic openings.
Despite the diplomatic engagement, hostilities continue on the ground. Kyiv experienced missile strikes following the announcement of the talks, resulting in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. Ukrainian officials reported attacks on energy facilities in several cities and civilian drone explosions near Kharkiv that caused deaths and injuries. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its forces intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones over various Russian regions and the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
President Trump, whose administration has played a leading role in the U.S. peace initiative since early last year, has intensified pressure on Kyiv to reach an agreement with Moscow. He indicated frustration over what he described as inadequate returns on U.S. support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Zelensky emphasized that only a summit of leaders could break the deadlock in negotiations and maintained that freezing the conflict would represent the minimum step toward ending the war.
Earlier in the day, Russia released an American retiree imprisoned on charges of mercenary activity in Ukraine, viewed by U.S. officials as a goodwill gesture linked to the ongoing diplomatic talks.
The upcoming trilateral negotiations mark another attempt to resolve a conflict that began over four years ago and has seen multiple rounds of talks with limited progress. The parties’ long-standing core disagreements remain, and it is yet unclear how the renewed dialogue will advance toward a sustainable peace agreement.