Russia agrees in principle to resume Ukraine peace talks, but dismisses Kyiv's proposals as lacking substance

Russia and Ukraine have both agreed to resume trilateral peace talks with the United States — but within hours of that announcement, Russian missiles struck Kyiv, wounding civilians and damaging subway infrastructure, underlining the distance between diplomatic process and any real end to the war.

The agreement came after US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin for roughly three hours in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, the latest leg of a shuttle diplomacy effort that began the day before with talks in Oslo involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders. Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, dialed into the St. Petersburg session from a remote location after falling ill with the flu, CNN reported. He and Witkoff put forward a proposal for a three-way meeting that, in the words of a US official, was 'accepted by the Ukrainians in Oslo yesterday and by the Russians in St. Petersburg today.'

While there is still important work left to do, President Trump remains committed to seeing this war end and achieving a comprehensive, durable peace.— Steve Witkoff, US Special Envoy

Putin's senior foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov told reporters that Russia was ready, 'in principle,' to resume talks after November 10 — after crucial US midterm elections, as The Guardian noted — and that the next round could take place in Abu Dhabi. Ushakov said the talks should focus on building a postwar security framework for both Russia and Ukraine, without specifying what Russia would demand as part of that framework.

But Ushakov's other comments set a sharply different tone. According to the Kremlin transcript cited by CBS News, Ushakov said the Oslo proposals — which Witkoff attributed to Ukraine and the European Union — 'contained little that was useful in the context of resolving the Ukrainian crisis.' CNN reported his phrasing as: 'little of actual value.' The Kremlin also warned that progress was 'theoretically possible' only if Ukraine made 'necessary decisions,' and that if it failed to do so, 'the situation for the country will be worse,' according to Russian state news agency TASS.

There are no indications Russia has moved from its maximalist positions, according to CNN. Those positions have previously included demands that Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region — most of which Russia now occupies — dramatically reduce the size of its military, and pledge never to join NATO. Zelenskyy, by contrast, has said Ukraine's minimum acceptable outcome is a ceasefire frozen along the current frontline, which would leave Ukraine with roughly 75 percent of its territory, followed by meaningful security guarantees from allies.

Right now we have to freeze, and I think this is the real way to end this war. This is the minimum of what we need from Russia today. Then of course we'll go to the president and to Europeans and we'll ask for security guarantees.— Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President

Zelenskyy, speaking from Oslo where he remained on Wednesday, said he wanted trilateral talks to happen 'no later than the beginning of November' and expressed skepticism rooted in experience. CNN quoted him as saying: 'Russia said many times it is ready for a meeting and then things changed and got cancelled.' He added: 'Let's see what happens this time.' Zelenskyy also made clear that any peace deal would require ratification by Ukraine's parliament, and that he would reject any settlement negotiated by China, Russia and the US in Ukraine's absence — telling Fox News, 'Don't talk about us without us.'

The last round of trilateral talks stalled in February, according to Politico, when the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran. Politico characterized earlier rounds as 'largely political theater' that 'failed to yield any broader breakthrough on halting hostilities, prisoner-of-war exchanges or a truce regarding strikes on energy infrastructure.'

A significant side development from the St. Petersburg meeting was the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American who spent more than four years in Russian custody after being charged with fighting as a mercenary on Ukraine's behalf. President Trump said Putin freed Hubbard with 'no swap necessary,' though he also said the release would not have happened had the US not blocked new sanctions against Moscow from taking effect the previous week. Witkoff, in footage that emerged from the meeting, called Putin a 'humanitarian' for releasing Hubbard — a comment that drew immediate backlash in the US.

WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of 'humanitarian.'— Senator Thom Tillis, Republican

Vice President JD Vance came to Witkoff's defense, telling reporters he stood behind the envoy for 'saying something nice to a person who just released an American hostage,' while Trump offered a more noncommittal response, saying 'I wouldn't say anything one way or the other,' according to The Guardian. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha offered a starker verdict after Russian strikes hit Kyiv following the talks: 'appeasement, servility and flattery will not stop Russia's war.'

Kyiv authorities reported that early-morning strikes on Thursday left 15 people wounded and caused damage to subway infrastructure on the Southern Bridge over the Dnipro River. A separate attack on Wednesday evening wounded six people in the capital. In Ukraine's northeast, a Russian strike killed a woman and injured four others in the Kharkiv region. Ukraine, meanwhile, sent hundreds of drones toward Moscow overnight; two people were wounded near the Russian capital, and most drones were downed at long range, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

On the sidelines of the diplomacy, Zelenskyy confirmed that the US had resumed sharing intelligence with Ukraine about incoming Russian missile strikes — a restoration he called 'very, very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians' — after saying earlier in the week that the warnings had stopped. He said access to Starshield, the military-grade version of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network, remained 'limited,' but that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was working on it. Rubio separately told reporters that decisions about Starlink access were up to SpaceX and Musk, not the White House — comments The Guardian said suggested Musk may have restricted Ukraine's access himself.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that the two sides were at 'the closest we've been' to ending the war. Witkoff is expected to return to Oslo for further consultations with European officials. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told broadcaster NRK: 'I think we may have entered a phase now where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy.'

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. The war is now in its fourth year, with Russia occupying significant portions of eastern and southern Ukraine.

Why it matters — The talks represent the most concrete diplomatic movement in months toward ending a war now in its fourth year, but Russia's dismissal of Kyiv's proposals and its unbudged territorial demands mean any agreed meeting would begin from vastly different starting points — and the strikes on Kyiv that followed the talks illustrate that diplomacy and fighting are running in parallel.

Sources differ on Whether an 'energy ceasefire' was ever agreed: Trump announced both sides agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure. (cbsnews.com) vs Neither Ukraine nor Russia ever confirmed agreeing to a truce of any kind; Russia launched new missile attacks on Ukrainian refineries within hours. (cbsnews.com)

Sources differ on Value of Ukrainian and European proposals brought to St. Petersburg: US officials said Ukraine 'brought forward new ideas and proposals' and the two sides are in 'strong alignment' on next steps. (cnn.com) vs Kremlin aide Ushakov said the proposals 'contained little of actual value for resolving the Ukrainian crisis.' (cnn.com)

Reported by cbsnews.com, cnn.com, reuters.com, politico.eu, theguardian.com