Ukraine, Russia and US to hold trilateral talks in November

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States and Russia is set for November. The aim is to restart peace talks that have stalled, with Russia's invasion now well into its fifth year.

Speaking in an interview with Ukrainian television, Zelenskyy said Kyiv is ready to talk. He said a territorial issue must be addressed at the level of leaders, while other issues fall to technical groups. He said all of this could be discussed in November.

The announcement follows stepped-up diplomatic activity by the administration of US President Donald Trump. His envoy Steve Witkoff met Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo on Tuesday, and then met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

After the meetings, both Kyiv and Moscow said they were ready to resume direct talks mediated by Washington. Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters in St. Petersburg that Putin agreed in principle to restart the talks after 10 November.

Ushakov said the talks would focus on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends.

In an audio message issued late on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he supported Washington's push to restart talks quickly. He said the agenda is to end the war, bring peace closer and, as he understood it, prepare for a meeting at leaders' level.

Representatives of the three countries held three rounds of negotiations earlier this year: twice in Abu Dhabi, in January and February, and then in Geneva in February. Little progress was reported beyond exchanges of prisoners of war, as Moscow and Kyiv held to their long-standing basic demands.