Russia says it is ready to resume talks with Ukraine and US to end war
Moscow says it is ready in principle to resume talks with Ukraine and the United States to end the war, after President Putin met Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Russia says it is ready in principle to resume talks with Ukraine and the United States on ending the war. The announcement came from President Vladimir Putin's top aide Yuri Ushakov after Putin met US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg, in a meeting that lasted about three hours.
Ushakov suggested a new round of talks could be held next month, possibly around 10 November in Abu Dhabi. A US official said Witkoff and Jared Kushner had proposed a trilateral meeting at technical level between the US, Russia and Ukraine, and that the idea was accepted by Ukraine in Oslo and by Russia in St Petersburg.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants the talks to happen as soon as possible. He also said he would accept a deal that freezes the war along the current front line, describing that as the minimum Ukraine needs from Russia today, with security guarantees to be discussed afterwards.
Kyiv and its European allies have long pressed Moscow to resume the talks, which were halted in February. Russia had refused for months, saying it believed it was winning on the battlefield. Ushakov stressed that any talks must focus on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends.
Witkoff described the latest meeting as constructive. Before the talks began, Russia also released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American former teacher who had been jailed for nearly seven years, and President Trump said no swap was required for his release.
Reporting based on coverage from BBC News.