Russian President Vladimir Putin has consented to return to talks with Ukraine, mediated by the United States, as soon as possible, possibly next month. After almost three hours of talks with the US envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg, officials from the Government of Russia said that the next round of talks will be heavily weighted on post-war security guarantees.
The first sign of diplomatic progress was a gesture of goodwill from Moscow. The White House asked them to release a retired American school teacher, Stephen Hubbard, who had been detained in Russia, and they did.
The proposed trilateral talks are expected to be held in Abu Dhabi from Nov. 10 or later, and will be held at a technical level. Kremlin aides told Witkoff that they were unhappy with the details of Kyiv’s current proposals, while he recently met with the Office of the President of Ukraine and several European leaders in Oslo.
Even though the two sides are still far from making peace, diplomatic initiatives are ongoing. In the conference which was attended by both sides, as well as by Jared Kushner via a remote link, Putin offered to use Russia’s ancient ties with Tehran to help the U.S. with its concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. In addition, there are talks for a historical 3-way meeting in China next month between Putin, US leadership and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The renewed diplomatic efforts coincide with rising worries in Kyiv that America is losing interest. The US recently won a deal for Russia to export its oil and gas to the EU in an effort to reduce domestic fuel prices, creating friction recently.
In the aftermath of the diesel deal, Ukraine has raised concerns regarding the issues with the provision of critical intelligence and military communication systems. Ukrainian officials drew attention to the problems that arise when utilizing satellite communication systems such as Starlink and Starshield, which are necessary for monitoring incoming Russian ballistic missiles.
U.S. officials have rejected any accusations of handicapping Ukraine’s defense capabilities, even as it has been alleged that the system’s speed has been purposely slowed down. Top officials of the State Department, including Secretory Marco Rubio, have confirmed that the U.S. doesn’t limit Kyiv’s ability to use its satellite system.
The pressure is growing and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is looking forward to resolving some of the key issues at the next trilateral meeting. But Moscow insists that any direct involvement be carefully worked out beforehand, and firmly upholds its essential demands: complete control of the Donetsk region; a comprehensive peace agreement, not a ceasefire, and a pledge that Ukraine will never join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
