Putin Tells Witkoff Russia Ready to Resume Trilateral Talks in November
Russian President Vladimir Putin told US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday, October 21, that Moscow is ready to resume trilateral talks between the United States, Ukraine and Russia in the second decade of November. The claim comes from Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, quoted by Interfax and RIA Novosti.
According to Ushakov, Putin said the talks would focus on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends. "The president informed Steve Witkoff that we are, in principle, ready to resume the trilateral talks in the second decade of November on the main subject," he said.
What Moscow says about the meeting
Ushakov said Witkoff told Putin that President Donald Trump would receive such a decision "with great satisfaction." He added that Russia's war against Ukraine was the central topic of the conversation and that the sides discussed "paths to a lasting peace."
Ushakov also claimed that Witkoff noted "new approaches from the Europeans and Kyiv" to a settlement, but, in Ushakov's view, "there is not much useful in them." Putin and Witkoff also discussed in detail the possibility of large-scale joint Russian-American economic projects, he said.
How the talks went
The meeting took place at the Konstantin Palace in St Petersburg and lasted almost three hours. Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, also took part. At the start, Witkoff said that another Trump envoy, Jared Kushner, planned to join by phone to "lay out a few ideas." Afterwards Witkoff and Dmitriev left the palace together. Witkoff reportedly called Putin a "humanist" during the meeting.
The talks began with the release of a US citizen, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan whom the US State Department had recognised as wrongfully detained; we reported on his release. They came a day after Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Norway and Finland in Oslo. Our earlier report covers the start of the meeting and Witkoff's comments on progress.
More on the diplomacy is in our politics section.