Putin Reaffirms Russia’s Willingness to Resume Ukraine Peace Talks

23 October 2026

ISTANBUL — Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated Moscow’s willingness to restart trilateral peace negotiations over the war in Ukraine, emphasizing the need for long-term security arrangements for both countries after a potential peace agreement.

Speaking in an interview with the Russian news outlet Vesti on Thursday, Putin discussed diplomatic contacts with representatives of US President Donald Trump’s administration. He recalled an understanding to resume negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States to seek an end to the conflict.

Putin said the proposed discussions would focus on establishing lasting security guarantees for both Russia and Ukraine rather than simply reaching a temporary ceasefire. He also agreed with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that any future security arrangements should consider the broader European security framework.

The Russian leader made the remarks a day after meeting Witkoff at Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg. Following the meeting, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Moscow was prepared in principle to restart trilateral negotiations around November 10, particularly to address postwar security arrangements.

Separately, Witkoff announced on the social media platform X that he and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had held constructive discussions in St. Petersburg and Oslo. He added that diplomatic engagement would continue through technical-level trilateral talks.

Russia and Ukraine last participated in US-mediated peace negotiations earlier this year. Three rounds took place on January 23–24, February 4–5 and February 17–18, with meetings held in Abu Dhabi and Geneva.

Putin also responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent comments to Fox News about potentially freezing the front line to help end the war. The Russian president rejected the characterization of the territories in question as Ukrainian land that would be lost, claiming they historically belonged to Russia.

He further argued that residents of those regions had chosen to join Russia through referendums held in September 2022. However, those votes were widely rejected internationally as illegal, and the territories remain at the centre of the dispute between Moscow and Kyiv.