Putin Agrees to Renew Peace Talks With Ukraine and US as President Trump Pushes to End War

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to resume three-way peace negotiations with the United States and Ukraine, marking a new diplomatic development in President Trump’s efforts to end the war that has devastated Eastern Europe for more than four years.

The agreement emerged Wednesday following a three-hour meeting between Putin and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff at Constantine Palace outside St. Petersburg.

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed that Putin had agreed in principle to restart negotiations after November 10, potentially bringing representatives from Washington, Moscow and Kyiv back to the negotiating table for the first time since February.

The proposed discussions would take place at the technical level, meaning government representatives and specialists would negotiate rather than the three countries’ presidents meeting directly.

Officials indicated that Abu Dhabi could host the negotiations, which would focus on establishing security arrangements for Russia and Ukraine following a potential peace agreement.

The development follows months of stalled diplomacy and growing pressure from President Trump for both countries to reach a settlement.

Witkoff arrived in Russia after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday.

Those discussions focused on developing a framework for ending the conflict, including security guarantees for Ukraine and arrangements intended to prevent renewed fighting.

Witkoff described the Oslo meetings as productive and expressed optimism that diplomatic efforts were beginning to regain momentum.

“There is some degree of momentum,” Witkoff said ahead of his meeting with Putin.

The American envoy presented proposals developed during the Oslo discussions and urged Russia to consider restarting direct negotiations with Ukraine and the United States.

Putin’s agreement represents a procedural step forward, although substantial disagreements remain over the conditions required to end the war.

Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly failed to reach a settlement because of disputes involving occupied territory, military deployments and security guarantees.

The Kremlin has demanded concessions that Ukraine has resisted, while Kyiv has insisted that any agreement must protect its sovereignty and provide credible safeguards against future Russian attacks.

Ushakov said the proposed negotiations would concentrate on developing a security framework for both countries once the fighting ends.

However, the Kremlin also expressed reservations about the proposals brought from Oslo.

Ushakov said the documents contained little of immediate value toward resolving the conflict, although he later acknowledged that they represented movement in a potentially constructive direction.

The mixed assessment demonstrates that Russia’s willingness to participate in talks does not necessarily mean Putin is prepared to accept the conditions sought by Ukraine.

President Trump has made ending the conflict a central foreign policy priority, repeatedly emphasizing the enormous loss of life and financial cost of the war.

The president has grown increasingly frustrated with Zelensky, accusing the Ukrainian leader of failing to pursue a negotiated settlement aggressively enough.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump again called on Ukraine to reach an agreement.

“We want Zelenskyy to make a deal,” Trump told reporters.

The president pointed to the substantial military and financial assistance Washington has provided Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

“We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. We’ve gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss,” Trump said.

He also warned that Ukraine could face serious consequences if the conflict continues without a negotiated settlement.

The latest diplomatic effort comes as Zelensky has signaled some willingness to consider freezing the conflict along existing battle lines as a starting point for peace.

In an interview broadcast Wednesday on Fox News, the Ukrainian president said a freeze in fighting could provide the foundation for ending the war.

“Right now, we have to freeze, and I think this is (the) real way to end this war,” Zelensky said.

Such an arrangement could involve halting military operations without immediately resolving the competing territorial claims that have complicated previous negotiations.

Ukraine has nevertheless insisted that any lasting agreement must include security guarantees capable of preventing Russia from launching another invasion.

Zelensky has also maintained that the most difficult questions would ultimately require direct negotiations between national leaders.

Putin’s latest agreement falls short of committing to a personal meeting with Zelensky or President Trump.

Instead, the Kremlin has accepted a return to lower-level discussions that could establish the groundwork for future negotiations.

Previous rounds of American-mediated talks took place in Abu Dhabi and Geneva earlier this year.

Those meetings produced limited progress beyond prisoner exchanges, with both sides maintaining their central demands.

The renewed diplomatic push also produced a separate development involving an American citizen imprisoned in Russia.

Putin agreed to release Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher who had been held by Russian authorities for more than four years.

Hubbard was detained after Russian forces seized territory in eastern Ukraine in 2022 and was subsequently convicted by a Russian court of serving as a mercenary.

The American government had sought his release, and President Trump personally raised the matter with Putin.

Russia released Hubbard as Witkoff arrived for Wednesday’s negotiations.

Trump said the release occurred without the United States being required to exchange a Russian prisoner.

The president welcomed the development, describing it as an important achievement for an American citizen and his family.

The release was viewed as a diplomatic gesture accompanying the renewed discussions between Washington and Moscow.

Economic issues were also addressed during Witkoff’s meeting with Putin.

The American envoy thanked Russia for lifting restrictions on diesel exports, a decision that could help ease pressure on international fuel markets.

American farmers and transportation companies have been struggling with high diesel prices, prompting the Trump administration to pursue additional energy supplies.

Putin also expressed interest in discussing the possible restoration of economic relations between Russia and the United States.

The Kremlin said the two sides reviewed potential commercial projects and opportunities for future cooperation.

Those discussions come amid disagreements over sanctions and whether economic engagement with Moscow could encourage progress toward ending the war.

Putin additionally offered to discuss the ongoing conflict involving Iran, suggesting that Russia could use its longstanding relationship with Tehran to assist diplomatic efforts.

The Kremlin also raised the possibility of a meeting involving Trump, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the American president’s expected visit to China next month.

No agreement for such a summit has been announced.

The possibility of broader diplomatic talks has generated concern in Ukraine, where officials have insisted that decisions about their country’s future must include Ukrainian participation.

Zelensky has warned against negotiations that would allow other major powers to determine Ukraine’s future without Kyiv’s involvement.

Despite the diplomatic developments, fighting continued across Ukraine on Wednesday.

Russian attacks struck residential areas and energy infrastructure, killing at least five people and injuring more than 20 others, according to Ukrainian officials.

Authorities in Kyiv reported three deaths and extensive damage to residential buildings following overnight strikes.

Additional attacks near Kharkiv killed two people and injured several others.

Russia also reported intercepting hundreds of Ukrainian drones over its territory and surrounding regions.

The continuing attacks underscore the distance between an agreement to negotiate and an actual ceasefire.

Neither Moscow nor Kyiv has announced a halt to military operations, and the proposed talks remain weeks away.

Nevertheless, the decision to restart negotiations provides President Trump’s administration with another opportunity to pursue a diplomatic settlement.

Witkoff is expected to continue consultations with Ukrainian and European officials as Washington works to narrow the differences between the two sides.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also been involved in coordinating American diplomatic efforts and discussing the proposed framework with Ukrainian representatives.

The administration’s immediate objective is to establish a negotiating process that can address territorial disputes, security arrangements and the conditions necessary for ending hostilities.

For now, Putin’s agreement represents renewed diplomatic engagement rather than a completed peace deal.

The next major test will come after November 10, when representatives from the United States, Russia and Ukraine could return to negotiations.

After more than four years of war and repeated failed diplomatic efforts, President Trump’s administration is attempting to turn the latest opening into substantive progress toward ending the conflict.