Witkoff and Putin agree to resume Ukraine peace talks; Kyiv open to ceasefire

US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday for three-hour talks focused on the war in Ukraine, with both sides agreeing to resume a trilateral Ukraine-Russia-US negotiation format as early as November 10. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Ukrainian and European proposals conveyed by Witkoff lacked substance, while Putin presented his view of the front-line situation. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Fox News that Kyiv is ready to accept a ceasefire along the current front line, which would preserve over 75 percent of Ukrainian territory. Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin personally approved intensified sabotage campaigns against NATO countries, following an August drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport in Germany. Russia's central bank has also reduced gold reserves by approximately 62 tons this year, the largest sell-off since 1998.