Russian President Vladimir Putin has told US special envoy Steve Witkoff that Moscow is prepared in principle to resume trilateral negotiations with Ukraine and the United States in mid-November, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in St Petersburg, Ushakov said Abu Dhabi could host expert-level discussions on the conflict, according to Russian state television channel Rossiya 1.
Ushakov also quoted Witkoff as saying that US President Donald Trump would welcome Russia’s willingness to return to negotiations.
The American envoy outlined new approaches proposed by European powers and Kyiv to resolve the conflict, but the Kremlin assessed that these proposals contained little of practical value, Ushakov said.
‘Moscow would completely eliminate Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities’
According to Ushakov’s account of the meeting, Putin told Witkoff that Russian forces retained the initiative on the battlefield and continued to advance. The Russian president also said Moscow would completely eliminate Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities.
Putin asked Witkoff to convey his thanks to US First Lady Melania Trump for her humanitarian efforts, including work concerning residents of Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region. Moscow has claimed that the town was isolated by Ukrainian drone attacks.
The two also discussed the possibility of a trilateral meeting between Putin, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen. Ushakov said none of the parties had rejected the idea.
Chinese officials, who are preparing to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, were already working on arrangements, Ushakov said, adding that a meeting between the three leaders could be included in the programme if circumstances were favourable.
Before meeting Witkoff, Putin held talks in St Petersburg with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
Ushakov also announced that Russia had released US citizen Steven Hubbard, who was captured during the war and accused by Russian authorities of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. Hubbard, a former English teacher in his seventies, was sentenced in October 2024 to nearly seven years in prison. Russian authorities handed him over to Witkoff and his delegation at Pulkovo Airport so he could return to the United States.
Putin and Witkoff discussed the implementation of a Russian–American diesel fuel agreement, as well as prospects for other major joint economic projects. They also addressed the situation surrounding Iran, with Putin offering Moscow’s assistance in efforts to resolve it.
The meeting lasted about three hours and included a video conference with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. Russian Direct Investment Fund Chief Kirill Dmitriev also attended.
Dmitriev told reporters that Russia and the United States were discussing energy projects and the possibility of establishing joint data centres for artificial intelligence. He confirmed that implementation of bilateral agreements on diesel fuel supplies was due to begin on Thursday.
Related articles:
The post Putin Says Russia Ready to Resume Ukraine Talks with US and Kyiv in November appeared first on Hungarian Conservative.