Putin Agrees to Resume Trilateral Talks with Ukraine and US Amid Ongoing Russia-Ukraine War

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States next month. The Kremlin said on Wednesday (October 21, 2026) that progress toward a negotiated settlement to the Russia-Ukraine war is theoretically possible. The decision was made after Putin met in St. Petersburg with US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff. However, according to Russia's state-run TASS news channel, Ukrainian leaders will have to make the necessary decisions to make any progress toward ending the war. Officials said that if Ukraine fails to make these decisions, the situation for the country will worsen. This was Witkoff's ninth visit since Donald Trump entrusted him with the task of mediating an end to the Ukraine war. During Putin's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, Witkoff said, "We can read some documents related to the peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, according to your convenience."