Putin and Ushakov Agree to Post-November Trilateral Talks with U.S. and Ukraine

Moscow has agreed to restart three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv after November 10, a Kremlin adviser announced on Wednesday, setting a date for the first such meeting since February. Yuri Ushakov, advising on foreign affairs, stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the resumption of talks "in principle." This development followed a roughly three-hour discussion in St. Petersburg between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

The proposed session will concentrate on constructing a security architecture for Russia and Ukraine once hostilities cease. The meeting in St. Petersburg included Ushakov and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev alongside the principals, with Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, participating via video link. Witkoff and Kushner presented a proposal for a technical-level trilateral conference and updated the Russian side on their previous day's discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The timeline for this renewed diplomatic effort extends back to early 2026, when representatives from the three nations convened for three rounds of talks. Two sessions took place in Abu Dhabi during January and February, followed by a meeting in Geneva that same February. Despite these gatherings, progress remained limited to prisoner-of-war exchanges, as both Moscow and Kyiv maintained their long-standing baseline demands regarding the conflict.

The St. Petersburg meeting occurred just one day after Witkoff engaged with Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo. Regarding the outcomes from the Norwegian capital, Ushakov told reporters that the proposals "contained little of real value in the context of resolving the Ukrainian crisis." However, he later told Russian state television that while Moscow is not "fully satisfied" with the Oslo proposals, they are a step in the right direction.

While the primary focus remains the war in Ukraine, the discussions also touched upon economic cooperation. In televised remarks, Putin stated he was prepared to consider restoring U.S.-Russia economic ties and discussed the potential for large-scale joint projects. Ushakov indicated that some of these initiatives are nearing the implementation stage. The conversation also covered the conflict involving Iran, with Putin offering to utilize Moscow's relationship with Tehran to support peace efforts.

These talks are occurring amid significant pressure from the United States on Ukraine to finalize a deal. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the administration seeks an agreement from Kyiv, noting that the U.S. has provided substantial support to Ukraine without receiving a resolution in return. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy affirmed support for Washington's push to restart talks swiftly, stating in an audio message that the goal is to end the war and prepare for a meeting at the leaders' level.

The security environment remains volatile as these negotiations are scheduled. On Wednesday, a missile alert sounded over Kyiv followed by explosions, and overnight strikes resulted in deaths and injuries across the country. In a separate development, the Kremlin released a retired American teacher, Stephen Hubbard, whom Russia had imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. Witkoff characterized the release as a gesture of goodwill following a request from President Trump.

The international diplomatic calendar is further complicated by interactions involving China. Putin met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in St. Petersburg, and Ushakov noted that Russia and China vetoed a U.S. proposal concerning U.N. monitoring of sanctions on Iran last month. Furthermore, Ushakov mentioned that Putin and Witkoff discussed a potential meeting involving the leaders of Russia, China, and the U.S. at an economic summit in China next month, with Beijing reportedly preparing for the event.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with Witkoff in Oslo as the envoy returned to the United States. Støre told broadcaster NRK that he believes Russia is also looking for opportunities for diplomacy and stated that the new talks were likely to happen in mid-November. Regarding the territorial dispute, Støre remarked that while Ukraine will never formally accept a border along the current front line, whether they can live with it is another matter.

The proposed post-conflict security system and the upcoming trilateral talks face significant hurdles. U.S. officials have not commented publicly on the specific agenda items regarding territorial boundaries or sanctions relief. The scheduled discussions in November will test whether the parties can move beyond the stalemate that characterized the negotiations earlier this year.