Kremlin Greenlights Three-Way Negotiations After November 10

Russia has agreed to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month, with discussions set to begin after November 10.

Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in principle to restart the talks following a meeting in St. Petersburg with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. The negotiations are intended to focus on establishing a security system for Russia and Ukraine once the conflict concludes. The session in St. Petersburg lasted approximately three hours and took place a day after Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo, Norway.

Ushakov characterized proposals emerging from the Oslo meeting as containing little of real value regarding the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, though he later told Russian state television that while Moscow is not fully satisfied with them, they represent a step in the right direction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an audio message late Wednesday that he supports the push from Washington to restart talks quickly to prepare for a potential meeting at the leaders' level. However, he noted that Russia has previously stated readiness to meet only for plans to be canceled, adding, "We’ll see what happens this time."

The proposed talks follow three rounds of negotiations held early this year, including meetings in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, which resulted in no significant progress beyond prisoner exchanges. Current U.S.-led peace efforts have made no substantial headway since early last year, more than four and a half years after the war began. Ukrainian officials reported that overnight Russian attacks in the capital left three people dead and 12 wounded, damaging ten residential buildings.

During the St. Petersburg meeting, Witkoff and Putin's foreign affairs adviser discussed details of large-scale joint economic projects, with Ushakov stating that some are nearing the implementation stage. Putin also expressed readiness to consider restoring economic ties with the United States. Additionally, Russia released a retired American teacher who had been imprisoned for fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, a move Witkoff described as a goodwill gesture.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre suggested that the new talks would likely take place in mid-November, telling a broadcaster, "I think we may have entered a phase now where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy." Regarding territorial issues, Støre remarked that while Ukraine will never formally accept a border along the current front line as the new border, the question of whether Kyiv can live with such an arrangement remains open.