Trump’s Envoys Seal Three-Way Talks Deal as Russia Fires Missiles at Kyiv Hours Later
Russia and Ukraine have both agreed in principle to restart US-brokered peace talks in mid-November, but Moscow launched fresh missile strikes on Kyiv just hours after the announcement, raising doubts about its commitment to diplomacy.
US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff shuttled between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, producing the most concrete result yet: both sides are willing to resume three-way negotiations with Washington [268130][268479]. The Kremlin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow was “in principle, ready to resume” the talks in mid-November, and Ukraine quickly backed the proposal [268479]. Zelenskyy said Kyiv supports holding three-way talks “as soon as possible,” adding that “the agenda is clear: to end the war, bring peace closer, and prepare everything for a meeting at the level of leaders” [267915].
The diplomatic breakthrough came after Witkoff held what US officials described as “positive” and “constructive” talks with Zelenskyy in Norway before traveling to Russia for his first meeting with Putin [267289][267355]. Putin used the encounter to express interest in restoring ties and economic cooperation with Washington, praising a diesel deal with Trump and recalling the US president’s comments on ending the war to stop the loss of human life [267355].
But within hours of the talks announcement, Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv, striking a dozen Ukrainian regions overnight [268292]. Zelenskyy said the attack showed the Kremlin’s position on the war had not changed, and noted that Moscow dismissed new ideas brought by Witkoff—developed with European countries and Ukraine—as lacking substance [268292]. The strikes came shortly after Russia had agreed to resume negotiations, casting doubt on how serious Moscow is about peace [268183]. Trump nonetheless said the world is “the closest we’ve been” to ending the war [268183].
The push for talks has been accompanied by mounting pressure on Kyiv from Washington. The White House paused transfers of Patriot air defense interceptors to Ukraine, a move that appeared to be a pressure tactic by Trump to push Zelenskyy toward a peace agreement [268347]. The decision signaled Trump is using military aid as leverage while Russian missiles continue to strike Ukrainian cities [268347]. Meanwhile, Norway discussed sending more NASAMS missiles to Ukraine—the same day after the US pressed Zelenskyy in Oslo to seek a deal with Russia—highlighting the divergent messages Kyiv is receiving from Washington and its European partners [268466].
Zelenskyy met with Norwegian and Finnish leaders in Oslo and held talks with two Trump envoys, Witkoff and Jared Kushner, though he did not publicly comment on those discussions [267297]. A friendly embrace between Zelenskyy and Witkoff was unlikely to ease concerns about Washington’s policy toward Ukraine, with the two appearing at odds despite optimistic signals from the Norwegian capital [266962]. Zelenskyy later said of the talks: “There are other types of guarantees that Steve will share with the Russians” [266879].
It remains unclear when the three-way talks will formally restart or what terms each side will bring to the table [268183].