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ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - RELEASED ON OCT. 21, 2026: RESTRICTION: USERS MUST CREDIT “KREMLIN PRESS OFFICE” HANDOUT, MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO —EDITORIAL USE ONLY— Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin told US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during talks that Moscow is ready to resume trilateral peace negotiations on Ukraine in November.
“Our president informed Steve Witkoff that we are, in principle, prepared to resume the aforementioned trilateral negotiations around the 10th of November,” Ushakov told reporters in St. Petersburg, where Putin hosted the US envoy for their ninth in-person talks that lasted three hours Wednesday.
Ushakov said Moscow’s readiness for trilateral negotiations particularly concerned the issue of building a post-war “security system” for Moscow and Kyiv, adding that the situation around Ukraine was a central topic of the discussions.
He said Putin praised the US administration’s mediation efforts concerning the war, while the Vesti news outlet cited him saying that the talks may take place in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Moscow and Kyiv last held US-mediated peace negotiations earlier this year, with three rounds of talks from Jan. 23-24, Feb. 4-5 and Feb. 17-18. The first two were held in Abu Dhabi, while the third took place in Geneva.
Ushakov said Putin confirmed to Witkoff that Russia is ready to facilitate the search for political and diplomatic solutions to the situation around Iran.
“Vladimir Putin emphasized that diplomatic opportunities are far from exhausted. And that it is possible and necessary to reach an agreement with Tehran, our strategic partner,” Ushakov went on to say.
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 behavior of the European leaders."
"They mentioned this to us, but, truth be told, these nuances do not entirely satisfy us," according to Ushakov, saying the conversation also focused on the implementation of agreements on the supply of Russian diesel to the US and global markets following a call between US President Donald Trump and Putin 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," he said.
Ushakov noted that Witkoff said Moscow’s decision to release 73-year-old American Stephen Hubbard would be appreciated by Trump and the American public, indicating the US envoy, on Trump's behalf, expressed warm thanks to Putin for the "gesture of goodwill."
He added that officials handed Hubbard to Witkoff at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg for his return to the US.
Witkoff announced during his meeting with Putin the Constantine Palace that Moscow released Hubbard, who was sentenced by the Moscow City Court on Oct. 7, 2024, to six years and 10 months in a penal colony after being convicted for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.