Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations next month with Washington and Kyiv aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, a Kremlin official said.
asserted
official → agree → Ukraine
The Russian leader has agreed “in principle” to resume the talks after Nov. 10, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters following a meeting in St. Petersburg between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff.
asserted
adviser → agree → Putin
The talks will focus on “building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends,” Ushakov said.
asserted
Ushakov → focus → Russia
Witkoff’s talks with Putin about Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine took place as Trump pushed Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.
asserted
that → take → fighting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted that only a summit of leaders can break the impasse.
asserted
summit → insist → impasse
The two armies remain locked on the battlefield, and the two countries pummel each other with daily long-range strikes.
asserted
countries → remain → strikes
Representatives of the three countries held three rounds of negotiations early this year, meeting twice in Abu Dhabi in January and February, followed by further talks in Geneva in February.
asserted
Representatives → hold → February
However, little progress was reported beyond exchanges of prisoners of war as Moscow and Kyiv stuck to their basic demands.
asserted
Moscow → report → demands
Latest proposals to end the war have little of value, Kremlin says
The discussion in St. Petersburg lasted about three hours, the Kremlin said, and came a day after Witkoff met with Zelenskyy and some European leaders in Norway’s capital, Oslo.
asserted
Witkoff → end → capital
The proposals from the Oslo meeting “contained little of real value in the context of resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” Ushakov said.
asserted
Ushakov → contain → crisis
However, he later told Russian state TV that while Moscow isn’t “fully satisfied” with the Oslo proposals, they are a step in the right direction.
asserted
they → tell → direction
Witkoff’s meetings suggested leaders are keen to bring new momentum to U.S.-led peace efforts, more than four-and-a-half years after the war began.
uncertain
war → suggest → efforts
Efforts by the Trump administration since early last year to end the war have made no significant progress.
asserted
Efforts → end → progress
Zelenskyy said freezing the conflict in Ukraine was the “minimum” required from Russia to bring about an end to the war.
asserted
freezing → say → war
“Right now, we have to freeze, and I think this is (the) real way to end this war,” Zelenskyy said in an interview broadcast Wednesday on Fox News.
asserted
Zelenskyy → have → News
Witkoff sees ‘some degree of momentum’ in peace efforts
Get breaking National news
Witkoff and Putin met at St. Petersburg’s Constantine Palace, with Ushakov and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev also at the table.
asserted
Witkoff → see → table
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, joined the discussion via a video link, Ushakov said.
asserted
Ushakov → join → link
Before the meeting, Witkoff said that “there is some degree of momentum” in talks.
asserted
Witkoff → say → talks
He thanked Putin for agreeing to send diesel to the U.S., after Trump lifted a ban despite anger from some U.S. lawmakers, adding that the fuel would help reduce prices for American farmers and truckers.
asserted
fuel → thank → farmers
Putin said he was ready to consider prospects for the restoration of U.S.-Russia economic ties, adding that he was also prepared to discuss the U.S.-led conflict with Iran.
asserted
he → say → Iran
Moscow stands ready to use its relationship with Tehran to help bring peace, he said.
asserted
he → stand → peace
Ushakov said that “large-scale joint economic projects that offer significant prospects for cooperation” between Russia and the U.S. were discussed in detail with Witkoff.
“Some of these are, in fact, nearing the implementation stage,” he said.
asserted
he → say → stage
In other developments, Russia on Wednesday released a retired American teacher who had been imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.
asserted
who → release → Ukraine
Witkoff said it appeared to be a goodwill gesture by the Kremlin after Trump asked Putin to free Stephen Hubbard.
asserted
Trump → say → Hubbard
Putin also met Wednesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who was in St. Petersburg for talks with other Russian officials, the Kremlin said.
asserted
Kremlin → meet → officials
Russia has cultivated its ties with China, and the two countries last month vetoed a U.S. proposal for U.N. experts to keep monitoring sanctions on Iran.
asserted
experts → cultivate → Iran
Putin and Witkoff also discussed a possible meeting next month between the Russian, Chinese and U.S. leaders at an economic summit in China, Ushakov said, adding that Beijing is already preparing for it.
asserted
Beijing → discuss → it
Norway’s prime minister sees a possible ‘new phase’ in talks
Witkoff planned to return to Oslo for more consultations after his trip to Russia, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.
asserted
Støre → see → Russia
“I think we may have entered a phase now where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy,” Støre told Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Wednesday.
uncertain
Støre → think → Wednesday
Zelenskyy was still in Oslo early Wednesday, where he visited Norway’s parliament and met with lawmakers.
asserted
he → visit → lawmakers
Zelenskyy said the talks in Oslo and St. Petersburg included discussion of future security guarantees for Ukraine, the fate of occupied territories, postwar reconstruction and the possibility of a ceasefire.
asserted
talks → say → ceasefire
Trump presses Zelenskyy to compromise
At the White House on Tuesday, Trump increased the pressure on Zelenskyy to come to an agreement with Russia as relations between the two leaders have soured again.
asserted
relations → press → leaders
“We want Zelenskyy to make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
asserted
Trump → want → Office
“We’ve given a lot to Ukraine.
asserted
We → give → Ukraine
We’ve gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss.
asserted
We → get → grief
If that doesn’t happen, “I think it’s going to be a very bad thing,” Trump said.
asserted
Trump → happen → ?
Amid fears that Washington was turning its back on Ukraine, Zelenskyy said Kyiv is once again receiving early warnings from its partners about incoming Russian missiles, after recent strikes that he said occurred without enough notice from allies.
asserted
he → turn → allies
Russian attacks kill five people and wound at least 23 others, Ukraine says
Overnight Russian attacks in Kyiv left three people dead and 12 wounded, while 10 residential buildings were damaged, the city’s military administration said.
asserted
administration → kill → people
Energy facilities were targeted in Kyiv and three other cities in Russian attacks early Wednesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said.
asserted
Koretskyi → target → attacks
Outside the eastern city of Kharkiv, two people died and 11 others were wounded when drones exploded in a residential area, he said.
asserted
he → die → area
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
