Russia-Ukraine war nearing its end? Putin ready to resume three-way talks with US and Kyiv

New Delhi: If everything goes well, the Russia-Ukraine war will end very soon. In fact, the Kremlin says that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to resume three-way talks with the US and Ukraine to end the Ukraine war. According to a Kremlin official, Putin on Wednesday agreed 'in principle' to resume talks after November 10. Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said after the meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg that the talks will mainly focus on creating a security arrangement for Russia and Ukraine after the war ends.

Ushakov said Vitkov briefed Putin on his talks in Oslo on Tuesday. There, Vitkov met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Norwegian Prime Minister, and the Finnish President. The meeting came as Trump is pressing for a deal to stop the fighting in Ukraine. There have been no three-way talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine since February. Differences between the two sides persist and they are increasing attacks on each other's energy facilities.

Diesel deal and other issues

According to the Kremlin, the meeting between Putin and the US envoy lasted three hours. The discussion focused on implementing the diesel supply deal reached between Putin and Trump on October 9th. The Iran crisis was also discussed. Ushakov said that Vladimir Putin stressed that the path to diplomacy is not yet closed. Tehran is our strategic partner and reaching an agreement with it is both possible and necessary.

Witkoff thanked Putin for lifting Russia's ban on diesel exports. This had angered some US lawmakers, but Witkoff said it would help lower prices for American farmers and truck drivers. He had previously said that peace talks had gained some momentum. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the US envoy plans to return to Oslo for consultations after his visit to Russia. He said, "I think we have now reached a time where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy."

Trump announced a deal with Russia to lift a ban on Moscow's diesel exports. This move marks a major shift in Washington's policy amid rising energy prices ahead of the US midterm elections in November. Trump criticized Zelensky for Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy facilities. He said these attacks were driving up fuel prices and suggested Zelensky should be removed from the presidency.

Possibility of a Trump-Xi-Putin summit

Ushakov said preparations are underway for a three-way meeting between Putin, Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The plan is to include it at the APEC summit in Shenzhen next month. According to the Wall Street Journal, Putin initially suggested a summit with Trump and Xi to discuss resolving the four-year-old Ukraine conflict.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that discussions are underway regarding a possible meeting. He said there is no clear understanding yet about the meeting or its agenda, although all three sides consider such a meeting likely. Trump has not yet publicly confirmed the summit.