Moscow Approves Resumption of Trilateral Diplomacy

The United States is currently trying to broker a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine, a process that saw a significant development today. Russia has agreed to resume three-way negotiations with the United States and Ukraine next month, according to a statement from the Kremlin.

Yuri Ushakov, an adviser to Vladimir Putin on foreign affairs, stated that the Russian president gave his approval in principle to restart these discussions after November 10. This agreement followed a meeting in St. Petersburg between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. The proposed talks are intended to focus on constructing a long-term security system for both nations once the conflict has concluded.

The push for these negotiations comes as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to press Kyiv to reach an agreement that would halt the fighting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced support for Washington's efforts to restart dialogue swiftly. "The agenda is clear: to end the war, bring peace closer, and, as I understand it, prepare everything for a meeting at the leaders' level," Zelenskyy stated in a late Wednesday audio message.

Recent attempts to organize such meetings have faltered, however. "Russia has said many times already that it is ready to meet in one format or another. Then something changed. Things were canceled. We'll see what happens this time," Zelenskyy added. His message was delivered just as a missile alert sounded over Kyiv, followed by the sound of explosions in the capital.

Previous three-way talks held early this year, which took place in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, resulted in little progress. At that time, both Moscow and Kyiv remained committed to their longstanding, core demands, with the only significant outcome being prisoner exchanges. The current proposal suggests a renewed attempt to find common ground for a future meeting.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre expressed optimism after a meeting with Witkoff. "I think we may have entered a phase now where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy," Støre said. He indicated the new talks were likely to happen in mid-November. When asked about the possibility of Ukraine accepting a border along the current front line, he responded, "I don't think Ukraine will ever formally accept it and say that this is the new border. But whether they can live with it is another matter."

At the White House, President Trump increased pressure on Ukraine to agree to a deal, stating, "We've given a lot to Ukraine. We've gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss." He warned that a failure to reach an agreement would be a "very bad thing."

Ongoing violence continues to mark the conflict. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian attacks overnight in Kyiv left three people dead and 12 wounded, while strikes outside Kharkiv killed two and injured 11 others. Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, stated its forces intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones across several regions.