Kremlin Greenlights Ukraine Talks

Russia announced Wednesday that it is prepared to resume three-way talks involving Washington and Kyiv starting after November 10, a development that could mark the first meeting of its kind since February.

The agreement came following a meeting in St. Petersburg between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, stated that the president had agreed 'in principle' to restart the discussions. According to Ushakov, the primary focus will be constructing a security framework for both nations once the conflict concludes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced support for the initiative, stating that the objective is to end the fighting and move toward a potential leaders' meeting. He noted that while Russia has previously expressed readiness to meet, prior cancellations have occurred, adding, 'We’ll see what happens this time.' Moments after Zelenskyy issued an audio message regarding these plans, a missile alert sounded over Kyiv.

This prospective meeting would follow three rounds of negotiations held earlier this year in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, which resulted in prisoner exchanges but little other progress. In St. Petersburg, discussions between Witkoff and Putin lasted approximately three hours, involving Ushakov, Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, and Jared Kushner via video link. During these talks, Witkoff and Kushner proposed a technical-level meeting and reviewed plans for upcoming discussions. While Ushakov criticized proposals from a recent Oslo meeting as having 'little of real value' for resolving the crisis, he later acknowledged that Moscow is not 'fully satisfied' with them, though he characterized the direction as positive.

Putin indicated in televised remarks his willingness to consider restoring economic ties with the United States. Ushakov added that large-scale joint projects were discussed in detail, noting that some are nearing the implementation stage. Additionally, Russia released Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher who had been imprisoned on mercenary charges in Ukraine. Witkoff attributed this to a gesture of goodwill following a request from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Pressure on Kyiv remains high. At the White House, Trump told reporters, 'We want Zelenskyy to make a deal.' He emphasized that the U.S. has provided significant support to Ukraine but has received 'absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss,' warning that failing to reach an agreement would be a 'very bad thing.'

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre suggested a shift in dynamics might be occurring. 'I think we may have entered a phase now where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy,' he told broadcaster NRK, indicating that talks could take place in mid-November.

The diplomatic maneuvering coincides with ongoing violence. Overnight Russian attacks in Kyiv resulted in three deaths and twelve injuries, while drone strikes outside Kharkiv killed two people. Ukraine reported that energy facilities in several cities were targeted, while Russia's Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 373 Ukrainian drones overnight.