In brief
After two days of diplomacy in Oslo and St Petersburg, Russia has pledged to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States. The meetings, led by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, were deemed "good and constructive" by Norway. However, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov warned that the proposals contain little useful material and that Putin appears not to feel pressurized to end the conflict. While Moscow suggests a technical summit in Abu Dhabi next month, no concrete steps toward a lasting ceasefire have emerged.
After two days of diplomacy in Oslo and St Petersburg, Russia has pledged to resume talks with Ukraine and the United States, but offers little in the way of a real settlement.
In a statement, the Kremlin said it may host a technical trilateral meeting next month in Abu Dhabi, and that the discussions in Norway were "good and constructive".
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store floated the possibility of a leaders’ summit in Oslo, hoping that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow would pave the way for a meeting between President Vladimir Putin, President Zelensky and President Trump.
However, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, who listened to the Oslo talks, said that the proposals contain little useful material for resolving the crisis.
"In terms of resolving the Ukraine crisis, there wasn't much there that was useful," Ushakov told Russian state TV.
When asked about progress, he added that it was unclear how close the parties were getting, but that movement was occurring.
The Kremlin appears unconcerned by the strain on Ukraine’s air defenses or the approaching winter, viewing them as strategic advantages rather than bargaining chips.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has paused sanctions on Moscow, agreed to buy Russian diesel, and criticized President Zelensky, a development that Kremlin officials welcome as easing pressure on President Putin.
Although a U.S.–Russia–Ukraine leaders’ summit is still unlikely at present, officials say that a meeting between Putin, Trump and Chinese President Xi in China could convene on the sidelines of an upcoming APEC summit, potentially shaping the next phase of global power dynamics.
