Russia agrees to restart three-way Ukraine peace talks
U.S.-mediated negotiations could resume after November 10
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed in principle to restart three-way negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States, potentially reviving a diplomatic process that has been stalled since February 2026.
Putin gave his approval following a nearly three-hour meeting in St. Petersburg with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff on October 21. Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said technical-level negotiations could begin on or after November 10, potentially in Abu Dhabi. The talks are expected to focus on security arrangements for both Russia and Ukraine following an eventual end to the war.
The announcement does not mean Russia and Ukraine have reached a ceasefire or agreed on terms for ending the conflict. The two countries remain far apart on fundamental issues. Moscow continues to seek full control of the Donetsk region, Ukrainian exclusion from NATO, and a comprehensive settlement rather than a temporary ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he supports quickly restarting negotiations but has maintained that a meeting involving national leaders will ultimately be needed to break the impasse.
Representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States held three rounds of trilateral negotiations earlier this year, including meetings in Abu Dhabi and Geneva. Those negotiations produced little progress beyond prisoner exchanges as Russia and Ukraine maintained their longstanding positions.
Witkoff arrived in Russia after meeting Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo a day earlier. The Kremlin said proposals emerging from those discussions did not fully satisfy Moscow, although Ushakov later described them as a step in the right direction.
Russia also released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher who had been held in Russian custody since 2022. President Trump had personally asked Putin to release Hubbard. The U.S. government had designated him as wrongfully detained, and his release occurred without a prisoner exchange.