The Kremlin has expressed hope for an early meeting between Vladimir Putin and U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff, who, according to the Russian side's expectations, is set to brief the president on the progress of contacts with the Ukrainian and European sides. This was stated by Kremlin official representative Dmitry Peskov in a commentary for Russian media, as reported by RBC-Ukraine. The statement came amid preparations for conflict resolution talks taking place in Norway on the same day.
Context: Talks in Norway
Talks on a settlement in Ukraine are taking place in Norway today. According to available data, the participants include representatives of the American side — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — as well as Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It is this round of contacts that prompted journalists to ask Peskov about further steps on the Moscow-Washington line.
Peskov's Position on the Meeting with Witkoff
Journalists asked the Kremlin spokesman whether Witkoff would travel to Russia after the Norway talks and whether such a meeting is scheduled in the president's agenda. Peskov replied that Moscow hopes to arrange a meeting in the near future during which American negotiators can brief Putin on contacts with Ukrainians and Europeans, as well as continue the exchange of signals between Washington and Moscow on a number of important topics. According to him, such meetings "seem very important," "are always timely," and "are very substantive," while the mediation efforts of the American negotiators, as he emphasized, are highly appreciated.
Question on the Meeting Location
A separate question from journalists concerned media reports that the meeting between Witkoff, Kushner, and the Kremlin leader might take place in St. Petersburg. Peskov neither confirmed nor denied this information, limiting himself to saying that the Kremlin "will inform" about when and where the meeting will take place. Thus, neither the date nor the location of the potential meeting has been officially fixed at the time of the statement.
Trilateral Summit and Kyiv's Role
Recall that, according to The Wall Street Journal, Russia is proposing to hold a trilateral summit in November involving the US and China, which, according to Moscow's design, should negotiate an end to the war on terms favorable to the Kremlin. In this same context, RBC-Ukraine recalls Peskov's statement that final agreements on ending the war are impossible without representatives of China. At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman did not specify exactly whom Moscow would like to see at the negotiations from the Ukrainian side.
Significance of the Statements
Combined, Peskov's statements outline two parallel lines: the expectation of bilateral contact with the American negotiator after the Norway round and a broader multilateral negotiation scenario involving, according to reports, China. At the same time, Moscow, on the one hand, emphasizes the value of US mediation and, on the other hand, maintains the condition of China's participation in final agreements while withholding specific requirements for the composition of the Ukrainian delegation.
