Kremlin says Russia ready for Ukraine talks near Nov. 10

Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday that Russia is ready in principle to resume three-way talks with the United States and Ukraine around Nov. 10, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after the two met in St. Petersburg.

It is the first stated date for restarting the trilateral format since Witkoff began shuttling between Kyiv’s allies and Moscow, but the Kremlin also said it sees little of use in the latest European and Ukrainian proposals, and no breakthrough was announced.

“Our president informed Steve Witkoff that we are ready in principle to resume the above-mentioned trilateral talks around November 10 on the main subject,” Ushakov said, according to Russia’s TASS news agency. Meduza, the Russian-language outlet based abroad, and the Kyiv Independent both reported the timing as mid-November.

Ushakov said the talks would concern building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends, according to TASS and Meduza. He added that Witkoff had briefed Putin on new approaches from Europe and Ukraine, and that there was not much in them that was useful for settling the war, Meduza reported.

The meeting took place at the Constantine Palace, with Kremlin investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev taking part, The Associated Press reported. The New Voice of Ukraine, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov via TASS, reported that the meeting lasted more than three hours. That duration comes from a single outlet and has not been independently confirmed.

In televised remarks at the start, Witkoff said he hoped to discuss “the resumption of the trilateral talks involving the U.S., Russia and Ukraine” so technical teams could discuss next steps, the AP reported. He called Tuesday’s talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “productive” and said “there is some degree of momentum.” The AP noted there was no suggestion of an imminent breakthrough.

Putin thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and Witkoff for their efforts to end the war and said he was ready to discuss restoring U.S.-Russian economic ties, the AP reported. Peskov told Russian state media that Trump appears sincere and consistent in his wish to help bring a peaceful resolution, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Witkoff also thanked Putin for lifting Russia’s ban on diesel exports, the AP said. Our earlier coverage details Trump’s remarks after the diesel decision.

The Kremlin’s account is the Russian side’s version of a private meeting, and its claims cannot be independently verified. No Ukrainian or European response to the Kremlin’s Nov. 10 timing had been reported when this article was published.

Before flying to Russia, Witkoff met Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo on Oct. 20. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the meeting “made genuine progress,” the AP reported. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told the broadcaster NRK he believes “we may have entered a phase now where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy,” and that Witkoff plans to return to Oslo for more consultations. See our reports on the Oslo meeting and on Witkoff’s arrival in St. Petersburg.

For Canadians, the outcome matters because Canada is a G7 and NATO member, leads the alliance’s multinational brigade in Latvia, and has sanctioned Russia since the 2022 invasion. Canada is also home to one of the world’s largest Ukrainian diaspora communities. No Canadian government reaction to the talks had been found at publication time.

Next, watch for any Ukrainian and European response to the Nov. 10 date, a White House statement on the meeting, and Witkoff’s reported return to Oslo.

Via The Associated Press, TASS, Meduza, the Kyiv Independent and the New Voice of Ukraine.

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