Zelenskyy backs US proposal for trilateral talks with Russia

Ukraine supports the US proposal for trilateral talks with Russia at the negotiator level, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today, according to Reuters and AFP, reacting to reports of US envoy Steve Witkoff's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin then stated that Moscow is willing to resume trilateral talks with the US and Ukraine next month. Zelenskyy told journalists via WhatsApp that he had spoken with US representatives after Witkoff's talks with Putin in St. Petersburg. "We learned that Russia... is inclined toward a trilateral meeting of our teams," the president said. "The American side proposes holding this meeting as soon as possible. We are for it," he added. At the meeting, country representatives could discuss peace proposals and a potential summit of top leaders. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov earlier said Putin told the US envoy that Moscow is in principle ready to resume trilateral negotiations on ending the Russia-Ukraine war. These talks could take place in mid-November, with the main topic being security for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends, Ushakov said, adding that a new round could be held in Abu Dhabi. Witkoff met with Zelenskyy in Oslo on Tuesday, joined by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Störe and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and called the talks productive. Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, several rounds of trilateral peace talks have occurred, the last in Geneva in February, with none producing a breakthrough on key issues.