Putin stalls Ukraine peace talks, offers no new proposals to US envoy

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not hand US special envoy Steve Witkoff any documents containing Moscow's proposals to end the war in Ukraine, leaving the negotiation process stalled after two days of talks in Oslo and St. Petersburg. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv is ready to agree to a ceasefire freezing hostilities along the current front line, provided Ukraine retains at least 75% of its territory and receives security guarantees. Putin reportedly postponed trilateral talks until early November, betting on destroying Ukraine's economy and weakening Western support after French elections. Russia may use winter and mass strikes with up to 1,000 missiles and drones to break Ukrainian resistance, while Russian officials dismissed Western proposals as unhelpful. Some experts predict no new negotiation window before spring 2027, with speculation about a possible Putin-Trump-Xi meeting at the APEC summit in China next month.