Putin Announces Readiness to Resume Trilateral Talks with US and Ukraine in November During Meeting with Witkoff

On October 21, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US President's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg. According to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, this contact marked the American negotiator's ninth visit to the Russian leader since the beginning of the settlement consultation cycle. The meeting took place the day after Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo, where, according to Washington's design, he was supposed to convey new ideas for ending the conflict to the Kremlin leader.

Trilateral Format and Security Theme

According to Ushakov, the conversation «specifically discussed» the possibility of resuming negotiations in a trilateral format involving Russia, the US, and Ukraine. «Our president informed Steve Witkoff that we are, in principle, ready to resume the aforementioned trilateral negotiations in the mid-November days on the main topic. This topic concerns building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the end of the conflict,» the Russian leader's aide stated. Thus, Moscow, according to its own statements, is setting a timeframe and subject of discussion, limiting it to the issue of the «post-conflict» security architecture.

Kremlin's Version of Contact «Disruption» After Elections

Ushakov also outlined the Kremlin's position regarding the reasons for the pause in dialogue. He claimed that the resumption of contacts was planned immediately after the State Duma elections, but according to Moscow's version, these plans were «disrupted» by Ukraine through «super-massive» strikes on Moscow and other cities on «main voting day.» These statements are a unilateral assessment by the Russian side and are not supported by independent verification from Kyiv or Washington in the provided sources.

Washington's Reaction and Lack of Visible Progress

As Ushakov added, Witkoff assured that the decision on readiness for negotiations «will be met by President Donald Trump with great satisfaction.» At the same time, according to observers, no clear progress in the settlement is visible yet: Russia shows no readiness to make concessions and rejects any ceasefire format. Thus, the stated readiness for trilateral consultations in November remains at the level of intentions, and its practical implementation will depend on agreeing on the agenda and conditions among the three parties.