"The work is nearing completion." Putin is ready to resume trilateral negotiations with Ukraine
However, those in the Kremlin believe that there is "not much useful" in the new proposal from the European Union and Ukraine.
"Work is moving toward the end." Putin is ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine
The Kremlin is ready to restart trilateral talks in the Russia–US–Ukraine format in November. This was announced by Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Yury Ushakov after a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff on October 21 in St. Petersburg.
"The President informed Steve Witkoff that we are ready to resume the above-mentioned trilateral talks in mid-November on the main topic. This topic relates to creating a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the end of the conflict," Ushakov told reporters.
According to him, Witkoff supported this proposal at the meeting and stated that "there is no doubt that such a decision will be welcomed by President Trump with great satisfaction." The US president's envoy himself has not yet commented on the outcomes of the St. Petersburg meeting.
At the same time, according to Ushakov, Witkoff spoke during the meeting with Putin about the "new approaches" of the European Union and Kyiv, but added that "there was not much useful in them from the perspective of resolving the Ukrainian crisis."
"I don't know how close we are, but work is moving toward that," the Russian presidential assistant said in response to a question from a "Vesti" correspondent about the prospects of ending the conflict.
He also mentioned that the next trilateral meeting of representatives from Russia, the US, and Ukraine could take place in Abu Dhabi.
"We are aiming for Abu Dhabi. Mid-November, agreed around the middle of November," he said.
In addition, Ushakov commented on a question regarding a possible trilateral meeting between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit, calling it a historic event.
Ushakov said Moscow had planned to resume trilateral negotiations in September, immediately after the State Duma elections, but this did not happen through the fault of Kyiv — because during the voting days, "very heavy strikes were launched on Moscow and other cities, including polling stations."
Kyiv has not yet reacted to the Kremlin's proposal.
The meeting between Putin and Witkoff took place behind closed doors at the Constantine Palace in the settlement of Strelna. Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, also attended it. On Wednesday morning, he met Witkoff at Pulkovo Airport and saw him off after the meeting.