On October 21, Russian President Putin met with US President's Special Envoy Weterkov at the Konstantin Palace in Saint Petersburg. This was their ninth face-to-face meeting.
This meeting came shortly after Vitkov met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and some European leaders in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
After the meeting, Russian President Assistant Ushakov stated that the meeting "contained detailed and frank content." Whittaker also posted on social media platforms, stating that the meeting was constructive, "and U.S., Russia, and Ukraine will continue to hold talks on technical levels".
It is reported that during the meeting, both sides not only discussed ways to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but also talked about large-scale joint economic projects between the United States and Russia. In addition, the two sides discussed topics related to negotiations among Russia, the United States, and Ukraine, as well as meetings between heads of state of China, Russia, and the United States.
The meeting on October 21 lasted about three hours. During the portion open to the media, Putin thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for his attention to resolving the Ukraine issue, and inquired about the outcomes of previous talks in Norway.
Witkov and Putin: Kremlin website
Vitekov said that the talks on Ukraine held in Norway were fruitful and there was some progress made. "I hope today's talks can be another step forward in the peace process, and we can discuss how to resolve the Russian-Ukraine conflict."
After the meeting, Ushakov said that Vytskov had informed Putin of the new methods proposed by European and Ukrainian officials during the talks in Norway to resolve the conflict.
"However, there is virtually no content in it that helps solve the Ukrainian crisis." Ushakov commented.
Many Western media have highlighted Ushakov's statement in their reports, expressing caution or even pessimism regarding the outcomes of the talks. The BBC described "everything as being very vague"; Reuters stated that "Ukraine and Russia are far apart on any possible peace agreement"; CNN noted that the Kremlin's firm stance is a completely predictable outcome.
These media also mentioned that recently, Trump’s relaxation of sanctions against Russia has led to an increasingly deepening rift between him and Zelensky.
American Foreign Relations Association researcher Thomas Graham believes that Trump's gesture of goodwill towards Putin should be criticized. However, anger alone cannot end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only way to achieve reconciliation, in order to protect Ukraine's sovereignty as well as its alliance with the West.
According to the Russian website 'gazeta.ru', Russian political scientist Sergei Marklov said that all actions taken by the Trump administration are aimed at increasing the Republican Party's support before the mid-term elections, rather than truly resolving the Ukraine crisis. He pointed out that so far, no position has agreed with the conditions proposed by Russia. Therefore, no substantial results will be achieved regardless of what new solutions are proposed.
According to Usakhov, Putin also discussed the situation in the special military operations areas during the meeting, emphasizing that the Russian army continues to advance in all key areas.
Putin told V. Putin that Russia's military is effectively destroying Ukrainian defenses, industrial infrastructure, and logistics hubs through retaliatory strikes. Ushakov said.
According to the Russian newspaper ' viewpoint', Russian experts believe that Putin has created favorable conditions for negotiations: the progress of Russian troops in the Donbas region, the naval blockade of Ukraine, and attacks on the enemy's economy are all strengthening Moscow's leverage.
On the 21st, Ushakov stated that both parties discussed in detail the possible ways to resume negotiations between US and Russian representatives. He noted that Putin had agreed “in principle” to resume negotiations after November 10th. The topics of the talks involved the construction of Russian security systems after the conflict ended.
Zelenskyy expressed his support for this. "At present, I do not know the exact date of the meeting. But the agenda is clear: ending conflict, promoting peace, and preparing for meetings at the leader level. This is crucial for everyone."
He also emphasized that any discussion regarding Ukraine's future must take place at the negotiating table in Kyiv.
Dmitri Suslov, deputy director of the Center for European and International Studies at the Higher Economic University of Russia, told Russian media Lenta.ru that deciding to resume tripartite negotiations is an important achievement in the process of resolving the issues in Ukraine. However, it is still not possible to achieve peace in the short term. "In terms of territorial issues, Russia and Ukraine are still far from making progress."
At the same time, Suslov stated that currently, Russia and the United States have similar assessments regarding the progress of the conflict, and this may influence the changes in Ukraine's position in the future.
For the governments of European countries, the European version of the American 'Politico News Network' points out that they are becoming increasingly aware that they may soon need to nominate a representative to conduct direct negotiations with Putin regarding the peace agreement in Ukraine. Witkov's proposal for trilateral talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine to promote a ceasefire makes this issue even more urgent.
In addition to the negotiations among Russia, the United States, and Ukraine, Putin also stated on the 21st that he intends to discuss with Vitalkov the possibility of Trump meeting in China.
In addition, according to Usakhov, Putin and Vitkov also mentioned a matter of great concern worldwide: the possibility that leaders from Russia, China, and the United States will meet during the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in November.
Russian State Duma deputy Alexander Assafov believes that "Russia, the United States, and China possess resources and influence that can determine the direction of world development. Therefore, the importance of the meeting with the U.S. envoy lies not only in the meeting itself, but also in its ability to lay the foundation for future agreements on broader issues."
Previously, Trump had stated that he was open to holding a tripartite dialogue between China, the United States, and Russia during the upcoming APEC summit.
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ regular press conference on October 22, a journalist asked whether China has been in contact with Russia and the United States regarding the meeting of heads of state between China, Russia, and the United States. Did China maintain an open attitude towards this meeting? Has any discussion taken place regarding the specific arrangements for the meeting?
