Putin agrees in principle to resume three-way Ukraine talks after meeting US envoy Witkoff

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told US special envoy Steve Witkoff that Moscow is prepared, in principle, to return to three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv on ending the war in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. The two met for about three hours in St Petersburg on Wednesday, a day after Witkoff held talks with Ukrainian and European leaders in Oslo.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks could resume in November, and later named Abu Dhabi as a possible venue. A US official told CBS News that both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to restart technical-level talks with the United States. The last round of US-mediated negotiations took place in February.

A detainee freed as talks open

Before the discussions began, Russia released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old US citizen who had been held for more than four years after being detained in eastern Ukraine in 2022. US President Donald Trump said on social media that no prisoner swap had been needed. Witkoff's description of Putin as a humanitarian for the release drew sharp criticism from some Republican senators in Washington.

Witkoff brought documents setting out approaches to a settlement and asked Putin to study them. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would review the proposals but cautioned that the process would take time. Ushakov was dismissive of the Oslo discussions, saying they offered little that was useful for resolving the crisis.

Kyiv wants a seat at every table

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had been told Russia supported a meeting of negotiating teams, and urged that it be held no later than early November. He has also said any final agreement would need the approval of Ukraine's parliament, and warned against any deal shaped by major powers without Ukraine present, using the phrase "don't talk about us without us".

The two sides remain far apart on core terms. Relations between Kyiv and Washington have been strained in recent weeks over a US arrangement allowing Russian diesel exports and over limits on Ukraine's access to a military satellite service. Zelenskyy thanked the US for restoring intelligence sharing on incoming Russian strikes after the Oslo meeting.

Fighting continued on the ground. Ukraine's emergency service reported two people killed in a Russian strike on a residential building in Kyiv on Wednesday, while a Russian regional governor said a Ukrainian drone attack in Bryansk killed at least one person.

Why it matters for India

India has consistently called for dialogue and diplomacy to end the war, and any durable pause in fighting could ease pressure on global energy and fertiliser markets that weigh on India's import bill. Putin also offered to help the US on Iran and discussed a possible meeting involving Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, developments New Delhi will watch closely.