Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
November could become a pivotal month for the war.
Moscow is open to restarting three-way negotiations with Kyiv and Washington to end the war, The Moscow Times reported.
The proposal surfaced after Russian leader Vladimir Putin met with American envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said talks could begin around November 10, pointing to Abu Dhabi as a possible host city. Ushakov told reporters that Witkoff welcomed the idea and predicted US President Donald Trump would support the move.
Zelenskyy confirms reports
Speaking to journalists, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Washington had shared the proposal.
“The American side proposes to do this as soon as possible, we support this. I do not know the final dates of this meeting. The agenda is to end the war, bring peace closer, and prepare everything for a meeting at the leadership level,” Zelenskyy said, according to United24 Media.
He insisted that European allies must take part in future summit discussions.
Flattery and fire
Still, quiet diplomacy cannot hide the friction on the ground.
From Warsaw, Zelenskyy accused Moscow of violating an energy truce previously announced by Trump, warning that Ukraine will resume strikes against Russian infrastructure if attacks continue through the winter.
In St. Petersburg, where the Witkoff-Putin meeting took place, however, the atmosphere sounded strikingly polite. State-controlled network Russia Today reported that Witkoff showered the Russian leader with personal compliments during their private session.
“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian too, sir, and I give you credit for that. I offer you my respect and thank you again,” Witkoff told Putin.
Witkoff’s praise of Putin was a direct response to Russia releasing a 74-year-old American citizen, who had been detained in Russia since 2022. He was flown out of Russia on the morning of the meeting.
The glowing tribute landed with a jolt. Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over the unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently declared that Moscow will never grant political concessions.
