Russia has agreed in principle to resume technical-level talks with Ukraine and the United States in a renewed attempt to end the war, according to statements issued after Russian President Vladimir Putin met U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on October 21. The proposed format would bring delegations from the three countries together for the first such round since February.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said the talks could begin on or after November 10. Reuters and the Associated Press reported that Abu Dhabi is being considered as a possible venue, but no final date or location has been announced. The development is an agreement to restart negotiations, not a ceasefire agreement or a settled peace framework.
Security arrangements are expected to lead the agenda
The Kremlin said the proposed negotiations would focus on a future security system for both Russia and Ukraine after the conflict. Witkoff briefed Putin on meetings held a day earlier in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European and NATO representatives. The Ukrainian presidency confirmed those Oslo discussions and said they covered steps needed to end the war.
Zelenskyy publicly supported a rapid return to the three-way format, while also warning that previous diplomatic plans had repeatedly been delayed or cancelled. Russia and Ukraine remain divided on fundamental questions, including territory and long-term security guarantees, and neither side announced a change to those positions on October 21.
The planned round would follow three U.S.-mediated meetings earlier in 2026. Delegations met twice in Abu Dhabi in January and February and later in Geneva. The Associated Press reported that those sessions produced little visible progress beyond prisoner exchanges. The new proposal therefore revives an existing channel rather than creating a completed roadmap for peace.
Putin–Witkoff meeting lasted about three hours
According to the Kremlin and international reports, the St. Petersburg meeting lasted roughly three hours. Discussions also included possible postwar economic arrangements, European security and the prospect of restoring some U.S.–Russia economic ties. These additional topics were discussed, but no binding agreements were announced.
Russia released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard during Witkoff’s visit. U.S. and Russian officials described the release as a goodwill gesture after President Donald Trump had asked Putin to free him. The release was separate from the proposed Ukraine negotiations and does not by itself indicate that the principal disputes in the war have been resolved.
The diplomatic announcement came while fighting continued. Russian strikes hit Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions on October 21, causing deaths, injuries and damage, according to Ukrainian authorities cited by AP and Reuters. The continuing attacks demonstrate that there is no operational pause linked to the talks proposal.
What happens next
The immediate test will be whether the three governments confirm the date, venue and composition of their delegations. Technical talks normally prepare detailed proposals for political leaders, but there is no guarantee that they will result in a summit or an agreement. For now, the verified development is limited but significant: Moscow has accepted the proposed trilateral format in principle, Kyiv says it supports renewed talks, and Washington is trying to convene the parties after months of stalled diplomacy.
