After Witkoff Meeting, Putin 'Ready To Resume' US-Led Peace Talks With Ukraine
by RFE/RL · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · JoinRussian President Vladimir Putin told US envoy Steve Witkoff that Moscow was willing to resume stalled, US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said after the two met at Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg.
"Our president informed Steve Witkoff that we are, in principle, ready to resume the mentioned talks," Ushakov told reporters, adding these talks could take place in November "with the main topic of building security."
The Kremlin has repeatedly invoked security concerns and demands for a so-called security zone to justify its war against Ukraine, while using those arguments to press for territorial gains.
It was the ninth time Witkoff had visited Russia for talks with Putin. Witkoff, along with US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has served as a lead negotiator in efforts to settle the long-running conflict.
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Trump made ending Russia's war against Ukraine a priority when he began his current term in January 2025, but Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart in their negotiating positions and talks have stalled.
The Kremlin has offered no concessions, repeatedly rejecting calls for a cease-fire, continuing its relentless and deadly strikes across Ukraine. Its hard-line demands include full control over territory in the Donetsk region, which Russian forces have been unable to seize on the battlefield.
Witkoff's meeting with Putin on October 21 came a day after the US envoy flew to Oslo for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid increasingly strained relations between the Ukrainian and US administrations.
During the past two weeks, Trump has expressed doubts about Zelenskyy's commitment to seeking peace in his country, while the Ukrainian president and Kyiv’s Western allies have warned the White House that a series of its moves could play into Putin's hands and further fuel Moscow's war effort.
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After speaking to Putin by phone earlier in the month, Trump announced a deal to encourage Russian diesel exports and waived sanctions that were due to be imposed under a law he signed last month.
Separately, disruptions to the Starshield satellite system, the military-grade version of the Starlink service operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX on which Kyiv heavily relies to defend against Russian air strikes, left Ukraine particularly vulnerable last week.
Despite what appeared to be a significant setback in US-Ukraine relations, Zelenskyy said during his meeting with Witkoff in Norway on October 20 that Kyiv and Washington had "some clear ideas on how to get to peace."
He said the US envoy would present Russia with a proposal for trilateral talks involving the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, an idea Kyiv has repeatedly advocated to fast-track a potential peace deal or cease-fire agreement.
Following Witkoff's meeting with Putin, Ushakov said he had "mentioned" to Putin "some new aspects in the approaches of the Europeans and Kyiv," but said "there wasn't really much substance in them."
Moscow has shown no indication that it is prepared to soften its demands.
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Trump had earlier commented on the possibility of direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy, saying the two leaders did not need to meet face-to-face to reach a deal. "They don't have to be in the same room. I guess they can do it another way," he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Moscow continued its devastating air strike campaign aimed at pressuring Kyiv into accepting its conditions for peace by attacking the country's energy and civilian infrastructure and leaving thousands without heat or electricity amid cold weather.
On October 21, Russian drone and missile strikes hit several Ukrainian regions, killing at least four people.
At least two people were killed and two others injured in a strike on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a 24-story residential building had been damaged.
Separately, emergency power outages were reported in several parts of the city following the attacks as energy workers worked to restore electricity, the energy company DTEK reported on October 21.
Two other people, an 81-year-old woman and an 83-year-old man, were killed in a strike in the Kharkiv region.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with cruise missiles and 186 attack drones, while Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had launched drone strikes against Ukraine’s logistics hubs, port infrastructure, and vessels.
Imprisoned American Released
In a separate development at the Putin-Witkoff meeting, which was being broadcast on a video feed, both men confirmed the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old native of Michigan who was captured by Russian troops in April 2022 and accused of being a mercenary for Ukrainian forces.
Witkoff framed Hubbard's release as a goodwill gesture from the Kremlin, calling Putin a "humanitarian."
"You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again," he told Putin.
Trump said he had "requested" Hubbard's release during a phone call with Putin last week and that Washington "was not required to give anything in return," describing the Kremlin's move as "unprecedented."
Hubbard was detained by Russian forces in April 2022. He was later sentenced by the Moscow City Court in October 2024 to six years and 10 months in prison on charges of being a mercenary.
The subject of US citizens being held in Russian prisons has become a prominent political issue in recent years, with many viewing their cases as part of a broader pattern of Americans being used as leverage in wider geopolitical disputes.
After Witkoff Meeting, Putin 'Ready To Resume' US-Led Peace Talks With Ukraine
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