U.S. President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that a deal with Ukraine for him to go to war is more advanced than ever. From Washington, Trump said that Russia is ready to resume formal, multi-year peace talks on Ukraine’s war and agrees to negotiations.
The announcement comes after a “very significant” meeting in St. Petersburg between Russian President Vladimir Putin and a US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Witkoff described the top-level meeting with the Russian leader as “constructive,” but said that “important work” is yet to be done in order to sign a final treaty.
Vladimir Putin Trilateral Talks Set for Mid-November
After the St. Petersburg meeting, Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Putin agreed “in principle” to hold three-way talks again. The Vladimir Putin trilateral talks, which take place this mid-November, will include representatives from the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
The next diplomatic framework will be mainly dedicated to setting up a post-conflict security system for both countries, Ushakov told reporters. But the Russian official said in the report from The Independent that the current proposals by the Europeans and the Americans still have not “substance”.
Trump publicly followed suit, saying for the first time in years that international negotiators are “maybe close to a deal” for the first time. The White House said these are “very delicate negotiations” that are top of the administration’s foreign policy agenda.
Kyiv Supports the Resumption of Ukraine War Peace Talks
Witkoff first met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of the European nations in Oslo prior to a visit to Russia. The Office of the President of Ukraine said Zelenskyy “cordially backs the early start of these trilateral negotiations”.
The territorial clauses of an eventual ceasefire are not known, but all three governments are officially back at the negotiating table. The November meetings are a turning point in international diplomacy, says PBS NewsHour.
If it succeeded, it would be the first full ceasefire agreement since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. International markets and friendly countries are watching closely as Russia agrees to talks, hoping this diplomatic progress will eventually bring an end to the conflict.
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