Russian President Vladimir Putin met today for three hours with U.S. Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Also present, reportedly, was Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries. According to the official readout by Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Putin received Witkoff at St. Petersburg’s Constantine Palace, with Jared Kushner participating via a videoconference link. Ushakov characterized the extended session as “substantive and candid.”
Putin and Witkoff first “outlined the issues they intended to raise during the conversation and shared their assessments of the current state of dialogue between the two countries.” Witkoff included a briefing on “the substance of the talks in Oslo” with NATO, the European Commission, and a number of European countries. Witkoff “highlighted certain new approaches” from them, “although there was little in them that could help resolve the Ukraine crisis,” according to Ushakov.
Rather, the meeting followed up on the Oct. 9 telephone conversation between Putin and Trump on “ways to achieve a durable and lasting peace,” and Putin commended Trump’s pursuit of “mutually acceptable solutions.” Putin told Witkoff that, “in principle, Russia is ready to resume the [U.S.-Russia-Ukraine] trilateral talks... to discuss the main issue... the establishment of a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the end of the conflict.” Putin mentioned a resumption around Nov. 10, and Witkoff said that Trump “would undoubtedly welcome such a decision.”
Putin briefed Witkoff on “the situation on the line of contact, where the strategic initiative remains entirely with Russian troops. It was noted that they are conducting a continuous offensive along the main axes and, moreover, as a retaliatory measure, are effectively destroying military-industrial, energy and logistics facilities in Ukraine.” Otherwise, on Ukraine, Putin sent his appreciation to “First Lady Melania Trump for her humanitarian efforts, specifically regarding the reunification of children with their families, and for her mediation in resolving a critical situation in the Russian town of Alyoshki, in the Kherson Region.”
