Russia shares major update on US-Ukraine talks after Witkoff's meeting with Putin

Moscow, Russia - Talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US are planned to resume in November in the United Arab Emirates, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (r.) greets US special envoy Steve Witkoff  prior to their meeting in Saint Petersburg on October 21. On Friday, the Kremlin announced that talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US would resume next month.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (r.) greets US special envoy Steve Witkoff prior to their meeting in Saint Petersburg on October 21. On Friday, the Kremlin announced that talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US would resume next month.  © Gavriil GRIGOROV / POOL / AFP

Russia indicated its readiness to resume the talks, which have been at a standstill since the beginning of the year, following a meeting this week in Saint Petersburg between President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The next round of talks towards ending the Ukraine war, which is grinding through its fifth year, are "planned for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi", and "will take place in a trilateral format", Peskov told reporters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the plan to meet in November in a post on X.

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"Now we all need to focus on making these meetings happen – together with America, Europe, and all our partners," he said Friday.

The announcement came amid intensified diplomatic efforts by US President Donald Trump's administration. Witkoff met on Tuesday with Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo, before meeting with Putin on Wednesday.

Following the meetings, both Kyiv and Moscow voiced their readiness to resume direct talks mediated by Washington.

Russia, which launched its full-scale offensive against Ukraine in February 2022, has suggested talks could take place "around November 10". Zelensky has called for the discussions to happen "as soon as possible".

In a televised interview aired late Thursday, Putin said that any trilateral talks would focus on the security arrangements of a final peace deal and not a "short" truce.

Cover photo: Gavriil GRIGOROV / POOL / AFP

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