The key facts
- Putin is ready to resume talks with Ukraine with US mediation, but insists on a final peace agreement rather than a short-term ceasefire.
- Putin rejected a halt to fighting along the current front line, calling that territory 'historical Russia'; aide Ushakov said the American proposals do not suit Moscow at all.
- Zelensky expressed readiness to discuss ending the war at a trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump; according to DW, Russian strikes on Ukraine continued even after Putin's meeting with Witkoff.
Readiness for talks and the Kremlin's conditions
As reported by DW, Vladimir Putin declared his readiness for talks in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin of the Russian state media holding VGTRK, published on October 22. He said that at a meeting with US President's special envoy Steven Witkoff he agreed to resume contacts with Kyiv with Washington's mediation. According to Putin, the talks should be aimed not at a short-term military pause, but at questions of ensuring the security of Ukraine and Russia after a final peace agreement. 'We are ready to resume these contacts to achieve this goal,' he said. At the same time, Moscow did not disclose at what level representatives would take part in the talks.
Refusal of a ceasefire along the front line
In the interview, Putin was asked about readiness for Zelensky to halt the fighting along the current front line. Instead of agreeing, Putin replied: 'This is not their territory, this is historical territory of Russia.' Earlier, media reported that Donald Trump had also supported the idea of stopping the fighting along the existing front line — in 2025, before the meeting with Putin in Anchorage. However, this does not match the Russian leadership's demand for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the entire Donbas.
The parties' positions and Kyiv's reaction
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky declared his readiness to discuss ending the war at a trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump. Earlier, the Kremlin had rejected such a meeting or set conditions Kyiv did not accept, including a proposal for Zelensky to come to Moscow. A few hours after Putin's meeting with Witkoff, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that the proposals brought by the American side do not suit Moscow at all.
Other statements and continued strikes
Putin also said that Russia 'does not want to fight,' placing responsibility for the continuation of the fighting on Kyiv. He said that Russians and Ukrainians are 'one people,' claiming that genetic studies allegedly confirm this; no references to specific studies were given in the interview. According to DW, Russian strikes on Ukraine continued even after Putin's meeting with Witkoff.
