The key facts
- Steve Witkoff met with Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21
- Trilateral talks of delegations may take place in Abu Dhabi from November 10
- Zelensky supported the meeting and proposals for a ceasefire and an energy-sector truce
Agreement to a trilateral meeting
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to continue peace talks in November mediated by the US, Reuters reports. According to the Kremlin, new trilateral talks at the technical level may take place in Abu Dhabi; they are expected to address the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia after the end of the war. The meetings are expected to begin on November 10 or later.
Witkoff's meeting with Putin
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin on October 21. The talks in St. Petersburg began with the release of American teacher Stephen Hubbard, convicted in Russia and sentenced to 6 years and 10 months of imprisonment for participating in hostilities on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Zelensky's position
Zelensky supported holding trilateral talks: “We were informed that Russia also supports holding a trilateral meeting at the level of delegations. The American side proposes to hold it as soon as possible, and we support this.” According to him, the delegations will prepare for a meeting of heads of state, and the agenda will include the issue of ending the conflict. “As I understand, at these talks all the preparatory work will be done for organizing a meeting at the level of heads of state. This is very important for all parties. We also support the proposals for a ceasefire, ending the war, and a truce in the energy sector,” he noted. The exact date of the next meeting of delegations is still unknown; Zelensky believes it should be held in early November without delay.
