Moscow raised the prospect of renewed Ukraine peace talks in November after Russian President Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg, but no date or leaders’ summit has been agreed.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia was willing in principle to join another round with Ukraine and the United States. He said postwar security for both Russia and Ukraine belonged on the agenda.
The three countries last held talks in February, Reuters reported. The news agency also reported that Ushakov found little he considered useful for a settlement in the proposals Witkoff brought from Kyiv and Europe.
The meeting followed discussions in Oslo on Oct. 20 involving Witkoff, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. U.S. envoy Jared Kushner joined by video. Støre said participants discussed postwar prosperity alongside territory, sanctions and Ukraine’s security. He said Witkoff would take proposals developed with U.S. and European officials to Russia.
Zelenskyy has raised the possibility of a meeting among the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the United States to address matters requiring their decisions. Ushakov’s remarks concerned another round of negotiations; the three governments have not agreed to a leaders’ meeting.
Separately, Zelenskyy said on Oct. 19 that the Pentagon was delaying missiles paid for by Ukraine’s partners. The purchases run through NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, under which allies and partners fund purchases of U.S. military equipment for Ukraine. NATO says that equipment includes Patriot interceptors.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the policy governing the program had not changed. He said requests for interceptors must be weighed against U.S. defense needs and other demands. Asked whether a particular batch was awaiting approval, Rubio said that was possible but did not confirm its status. The three governments have yet to schedule a new round of talks in November.
