In brief
Russia’s top aide said the Kremlin is ready in principle to resume peace talks with the US and Ukraine, after a meeting in St. Petersburg with US envoy Steve Witkoff. Ushakov indicated a new trilateral round could take place around 10 November and must focus on building a security framework after the conflict. The pause in negotiations began last February when Russia blamed Ukrainian strikes for the disruption. Kyiv has urged Moscow to restart talks, which were suspended in February.
Russia is “ready in principle” to resume talks with the US and Ukraine on ending the conflict, said President Vladimir Putin’s chief adviser.
Ushakov made the comment after a three‑hour meeting in St. Petersburg with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who had just met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders of Norway and Finland.
The adviser said a new round of trilateral talks could be held around 10 November, stressing the focus must be on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the war ends.
Roughly a year after Russia launched a full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, the talks that aimed to end the war were suspended in February, with Moscow citing Ukrainian strikes as the reason for the break.
Ushakov called the ideas presented by the US envoy and the Nordic leaders “not very useful,” but reiterated Russia’s openness to a new round of negotiations, signalling a possible shift in the Kremlin’s diplomatic approach.
© 2026 BBC News / By Jaroslav Lukiv
