Russia said on October 21 that it was ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States after President Vladimir Putin met a U.S. envoy and freed a detained American, but Moscow played down the chances of a deal to end the conflict. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff had flown to Russia from a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo on October 20, which was aimed at smoothing over a bitter rift between President Zelenskyy and President Trump. President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also took part in the talks with President Putin remotely.
Witkoff said that the Putin talks were constructive but there was still important work left to do. Discussions would continue between the U.S., Ukraine and Russia at the technical level. In talks lasting almost 3 hours, President Putin and the U.S. envoy also discussed the implementation of an October 9 deal between President Putin and President Trump on supplies of Russian diesel to U.S. and world markets. This was Witkoff’s 9th meeting with President Putin.
But the Kremlin warned after Witkoff’s meeting with President Putin in Saint Petersburg that there was little substance in the Ukrainian and European peace proposals that the U.S. diplomat brought with him. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that the proposed new round of talks should focus on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the end of the conflict.
Meanwhile in a goodwill gesture, Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a retired U.S. schoolteacher who was in custody since 2022, from prison on October 21 and took him to St. Petersburg to fly back to the United States. President Putin’s Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the President had freed Hubbard, 74, at President Trump’s request and that he had also taken into account the American’s poor health. Witkoff called President Putin a humanitarian in thanking him for the move while President Trump said it was the closest they’ve been to ending the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy supported a U.S. proposal for 3-way talks with Russia and the United States at the level of negotiators to be held as soon as possible, preferably no later than early November. President Zelenskyy said that Kyiv supported “any proposals for a ceasefire, an end to the war, an energy ceasefire as well as humanitarian initiatives.” Witkoff met President Putin a day after holding talks with President Zelenskyy in Norway amid concerns in Kyiv and among its allies that U.S. was backing away from Ukraine.
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