by Ben Whedon
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday agreed to participate in talks with the U.S. and Ukraine in a bid to end the war in Eastern Europe.
Putin advisor Yuri Ushakov confirmed that Moscow had agreed “in principle” to negotiations on Nov. 10, according to the Associated Press. His commitment follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressing openness to a ceasefire on the current front lines of the conflict.
But there is little to suggest that Russia’s terms to end the war have changed and that resumed negotiations will make headway. Notably, Russia and the U.S. have negotiated a series of deals in recent weeks, including for the release of political prisoners and the injection of Russian diesel into global markets.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on X that he and Jared Kushner “met with Russian, Ukrainian, and European leaders to advance President Trump’s mission to end the war.”
“In St. Petersburg, we met with President Putin to build on the progress made in Oslo with President Zelenskyy, discuss a peace framework, and thank President Putin for releasing American citizen Stephen Hubbard to return home to his family. These discussions were constructive, and will continue with trilateral talks between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine at the technical level,” Witkoff said.
“While there is still important work left to do, President Trump remains committed to seeing this war end and achieving a comprehensive, durable peace that will provide security and prosperity for generations to come,” he added.
It also comes in the wake of Putin suggesting President Donald Trump personally meet with him and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss an end to the war in a summit that would not include Zelensky.
The war began in February of 2022 over Russian concerns about Ukraine’s potential entry into NATO. Conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, however, has persisted since 2014, when pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in the Maidan Revolution.
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Ben Whedon is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
