The key facts
- Zelensky: Russia supports a trilateral meeting of delegations, the US proposes holding it as soon as possible
- The timing differs: Zelensky — no later than early November, Ushakov — around November 10
- Steven Witkoff met with Zelensky in Oslo on October 20 and with Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21
Context of the talks
According to DW, Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 21, in an online conversation with journalists, about the recent meetings of the special representative of the US president, Steven Witkoff. According to the Ukrainian leader, judging by the information received, Russia supports a trilateral meeting at the delegations' level, the American side proposes holding it as soon as possible, and Kyiv also supports this.
Goals and timing
In Zelensky's view, the main goal of the delegations' talks is ending the war and preparing the conditions for a meeting of the presidents of Ukraine, Russia and the US; he specified that he is expressing this as his own understanding. He also stated that Kyiv supports the ceasefire proposals aimed at stopping the fire, ending the war and halting strikes on energy facilities. The parties name different dates for the meeting: Zelensky said he does not know the exact date but believes the talks should take place no later than early November. Aide to the President of Russia Yuri Ushakov, after the talks with Witkoff, said the meeting could take place around November 10.
Witkoff's visit and previous rounds
On October 20, Steven Witkoff met in Oslo with Zelensky and representatives of Ukraine's European allies, and on October 21 he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. The US special representative described the discussions as 'constructive' and said they would continue in the format of technical trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine. Earlier, the delegations of the three countries twice held closed talks in Abu Dhabi: the first stage on January 23–24, the second on February 4–5. On February 5, Kyiv and Moscow agreed on another prisoner exchange. Despite the parties' statements about progress, decisive progress in ending Russia's war against Ukraine has not been achieved.
