Kremlin Agrees to Ukraine Talks but Sees Little to Discuss

Moscow (GNP): Russia has signalled it is ready to resume talks on Ukraine, but the Kremlin sees little of value in the latest peace push after two days of diplomacy in Oslo and St Petersburg.

The first stage took place in the Norwegian capital on Tuesday, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and European representatives. Norway’s prime minister described the discussions as good and constructive.

A leaders’ meeting between the three countries was floated in Oslo. The hope was that Witkoff’s onward trip to Russia would pave the way for Vladimir Putin, Zelensky and Trump to meet and agree an end to the fighting.

Moscow’s response was far more reserved. Putin has shown little desire to share a table with Zelensky, unless that table is in Moscow. The Kremlin says it may resume trilateral talks next month in Abu Dhabi, but only at technical level.

The clearest sign of that mood came from Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide, who took part in the St Petersburg talks. He said Witkoff had briefed Putin on the Oslo discussions and on what Witkoff viewed as new approaches from the Europeans and Kyiv. Ushakov judged that little in them was useful for resolving the crisis.

Witkoff acknowledged in a post on X that important work remains, while saying that Trump is committed to seeing the war end. The gap between the two accounts shows how far apart the sides still are.

The wider context may explain Moscow’s reserve. Ukraine’s air defences are under severe strain, and winter is approaching, which Russia may see as a chance to press its strikes. At the same time, Trump has recently paused some sanctions on Moscow, agreed to buy Russian diesel and criticised Zelensky sharply.

Those steps have been welcomed in Moscow. Russian MP and TV anchor Evgeny Popov said Trump is the only Western leader doing something for peace. Asked whether that meant peace on Russia’s terms, he agreed.

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Attention is now turning to China. A meeting between Putin, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping may take place next month on the fringes of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Some Russian commentators have already called it “The New Yalta”, a reference to the 1945 conference where Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met to plan post-war Europe.

Popov said it would be good for the whole world if the leaders met in China. After nearly five years of war, such a meeting would place Putin at the top table of global politics, which is where he wants to be.

Asked on state television how close the sides are to peace, Ushakov said he did not know. He added, “Things are moving in that direction.”