Russia has said it is ready to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine in November, with discussions potentially taking place in Abu Dhabi.
President Vladimir Putin conveyed Moscow’s position to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during three hours of talks in St Petersburg on Wednesday, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters on Wednesday.
“Our president informed Steve Witkoff that we are, in principle, prepared to resume the aforementioned trilateral negotiations around the 10th of November,” Ushakov said.
The meeting was Putin and Witkoff’s ninth in-person encounter.
Ushakov said the situation in Ukraine was a central topic, with Moscow’s readiness to resume negotiations particularly concerning the creation of a post-war “security system” for Moscow and Kiev.
Putin praised Washington’s mediation efforts, Ushakov said. The Vesti news outlet also quoted the Kremlin aide as saying the talks could take place in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi.
Moscow and Kiev held three rounds of US-mediated negotiations earlier this year, on January 23–24, February 4–5 and February 17–18. Abu Dhabi hosted the first two rounds, while the third took place in Geneva.
Diplomacy on Iran
Ushakov said Putin also confirmed Russia’s willingness to help find political and diplomatic solutions concerning Iran.
“Vladimir Putin emphasised that diplomatic opportunities are far from exhausted. And that it is possible and necessary to reach an agreement with Tehran, our strategic partner,” he said.
He also said Witkoff briefed Putin on the substance of talks he took part in on Tuesday in Oslo, which included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of Finland and Norway, and that the US sensed "some new nuances in the behaviour of the European leaders."
“They mentioned this to us, but, truth be told, these nuances do not entirely satisfy us,” he said.
The discussions also covered the implementation of agreements on Russian diesel supplies to the US and global markets following a phone call between Putin and US President Donald Trump earlier this month.
“The parties also held a detailed discussion on other large-scale joint economic projects, which offer significant prospects for cooperation between the two nations. Some of these initiatives are now nearing the implementation stage,” Ushakov said.
American prisoner released
During the meeting at Constantine Palace, Witkoff announced that Russia had released 73-year-old American Stephen Hubbard.
Hubbard was sentenced by the Moscow City Court on October 7, 2024, to six years and 10 months in a penal colony after being convicted of fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.
Ushakov said Russian officials handed Hubbard over to Witkoff at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport for his return to the US.
The envoy thanked Putin on Trump’s behalf for the “gesture of goodwill”, saying the release would be appreciated by the US president and the American public, Ushakov added.
