Moscow and Washington Move Ukrainian Settlement Forward... Proposal of Settlement Documents

Diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine took a new turn following talks held by US envoy Steve Witkoff with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, which covered proposals for resolving the conflict and the possibility of resuming trilateral talks between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine. The Iranian file also emerged within the discussions, amid Moscow’s readiness to contribute to resolving the crisis in the Middle East.

Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to the Russian President on foreign affairs, stated that Putin had agreed “in principle” to resume trilateral talks after November 10, clarifying that the discussions would focus on establishing a security system for Russia and Ukraine following the end of the conflict.

For his part, Witkoff announced that he had delivered to Putin documents containing specific ideas and approaches regarding a potential peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, urging the Russian President to study them as a precursor to resuming dialogue. He expressed his belief that there is a possibility of ending the conflict, noting that his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo were productive and that there is ground for reaching a ceasefire.

Zelenskyy had previously affirmed, in an interview with Fox News, his country’s support for holding trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, emphasizing the necessity of halting combat and transitioning to a diplomatic track within an agreement that includes security guarantees. He also called for the involvement of European countries, stressing that Kyiv is ready to negotiate, while insisting that decisions regarding Ukraine must not be made without its participation.

In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the talks held in Oslo as positive, explaining that Witkoff traveled to Russia carrying the ideas discussed with the Ukrainian and European sides, in an attempt to explore opportunities for making progress in the settlement process.

The Russian-American discussions extended to the war in the Gulf region, with Putin expressing his country’s willingness to help resolve the crisis, pointing to Moscow’s longstanding relations with Tehran and his interest in learning the US assessment of the situation in the Middle East.

The inclusion of the Iranian file adds a new dimension to the talks, amid Washington’s efforts to push forward the Ukrainian settlement and the possibility of discussing a Russian role in mediating the regional crisis.

On the economic front, Putin expressed interest in restoring cooperation with the United States after the end of the war in Ukraine, noting his country’s readiness to supply large quantities of fertilizers and other materials to the US market. In this context, the Vedomosti newspaper quoted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak as saying that Moscow intends to send its first diesel shipment to the United States on Thursday, with a quantity of 40,000 tons, following an agreement with US President Donald Trump. The report indicated that procedures related to the shipment are nearing completion, without specifying the delivery port.

For its part, the European Union announced that it expects Washington to brief it on the results of Witkoff’s meeting with Putin, noting that previous discussions in Oslo addressed issues of territory, security, and post-war prosperity, alongside exploring the possibility of transitioning to trilateral or multilateral talks.

These moves come as US efforts continue to break the deadlock in the peace process, amid anticipation of what the documents submitted to Moscow will yield, and the extent to which the parties are prepared to move from exchanging proposals to practical negotiations regarding a ceasefire and post-war security arrangements.