Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top aide Yuri Ushakov has said Russia is “ready in principle” to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine as soon as next month, after the president met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
The Kremlin suggested the talks could take place from November 10 in Abu Dhabi and would be focused on how to guarantee the security of Ukraine and Russia once the war ended (Reuters).
It is not clear what specific proposals Witkoff brought to Putin, but Ushakov said their ideas were not very “useful”. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said energy ceasefire proposals had been discussed when he met with Witkoff separately in Oslo on Monday (BBC).
Ushakov said Putin reiterated to Witkoff that Russian troops were advancing everywhere across the vast front line and had a “strategic initiative”, but Ukraine and its European allies have said the front is a virtual stalemate (BBC).
On Wednesday, Zelensky said he would accept a deal that would freeze the war along the current front line (BBC).