The Ukrainian president said that “preparing everything for a meeting at the level of leaders is very important for everyone” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has backed plans for the resumption of talks between Ukrainian, American and Russian negotiators, saying that preparing the ground for a future meeting of national leaders is “very important for everyone.” US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Russian leader Vladimir Putin at an imperial palace in St Petersburg on Wednesday, as Washington continues its push to forge a compromise to end the war in Ukraine. Following the meeting—which came a day after Witkoff met Zelenskyy in Norway—Russian officials said they had agreed to resume talks, which had effectively been on hold since February. The discussions, which could take place in November, will happen on a technical level, meaning that national presidents will not be involved. Zelenskyy, who has previously called on Putin to meet him to thrash out a peace deal, emphasized that making progress toward a presidential-level summit should be part of the agenda. “We received feedback that Russia supports a trilateral meeting at the level of our [negotiation] teams. The American side proposes to do this as soon as possible. We support this,” Zelenskyy told journalists on a WhatsApp chat on Wednesday evening, state news agency Ukrinform reported. “I don't know what the final dates of this meeting will be. The agenda is clear—ending the war, bringing peace closer and preparing everything for a meeting at the level of leaders is very important for everyone. To develop this agenda, the teams will communicate.” Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian team will support proposals for a ceasefire, an energy truce and various humanitarian initiatives, including the return of prisoners, national news agency Ukrinform reported. He said Ukraine wanted the meeting to be held in early November. Earlier, Russian officials said it could happen on or after November 10 and proposed Abu Dhabi as a potential venue. Witkoff's diplomatic tour Witkoff’s trips to Oslo and St Petersburg—where he met Putin face-to-face for the ninth time—coincide with a period of high tension between the US and Ukraine that has seen Trump again calling for Zelenskyy’s departure from his role as president. The latest bout of disagreement was largely sparked by the US president’s unexpected deal to buy Russian diesel in contravention of Washington's own sanctions. Subsequent developments—including limits on Ukraine’s use of US-managed Starlink satellite systems—have prompted further concerns in Kyiv and other European capitals about Trump’s approach to Moscow. Witkoff, who was himself criticized on Wednesday for calling Putin a “humanitarian” after the release of 74-year-old US citizen Stephen Hubbard from a Russian prison, said that talks with both sides were “constructive.” “While there is still important work left to do, President Trump remains committed to seeing this war end and achieving a comprehensive, durable peace that will provide security and prosperity for generations to come,” he said. Frozen frontline? Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy told US network Fox News that he would be open to a peace deal that freezes the frontlines as they are now. “Yes,” he said. “Right now, we have to freeze, and I think this is [a] real way to end this war,” he said, adding that US and European security guarantees would also be needed. Previous US attempts to push for peace in Ukraine have largely stalled due to hardline demands from Russia, which has asked Ukraine to relinquish several eastern and southern regions, including territories not currently under Russian control. The Kremlin said on Wednesday it hoped the technical meeting that could take place in November would address its security concerns, adding that the “nuances” of ideas proposed by Ukraine and communicated by Witkoff did not “entirely satisfy us.” Speaking on TVP World’s News in Depth program earlier, the channel’s Europe editor said that Russia is “only pretending” to be interested in peace. “The Russians are not giving away anything,” Marcin Zaborowski said, describing the Kremlin’s willingness to consider negotiations as an attempt to control the diplomatic narrative.
