Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed in principle to resume three-way peace negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States after November 10, marking a potentially significant development in President Donald Trump’s efforts to bring an end to the war that has devastated Ukraine for more than four years.

The announcement came Wednesday following talks in St. Petersburg between Putin and Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Russia after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Norway the previous day.

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Moscow was prepared “in principle” to continue the diplomatic process after November 10, indicating that Russia was willing to return to negotiations involving representatives of all three countries.

According to Ushakov, the next round of discussions would concentrate on “building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends,” a central issue in the peace proposal that Witkoff presented to the Russian president.

The development represents a shift in Moscow’s position after Putin repeatedly resisted proposals for direct negotiations involving Trump and Zelensky. Although delegations from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States previously held discussions in the United Arab Emirates, efforts to arrange further high-level meetings had encountered substantial obstacles.

Witkoff’s visit to St. Petersburg followed a meeting Tuesday in Oslo, Norway, where he consulted with Zelensky and European officials about a proposed framework for ending the fighting.

The proposal reportedly addresses several major questions that have complicated previous diplomatic efforts, including long-term security commitments to Ukraine, financial assistance for rebuilding the war-ravaged country, and arrangements intended to prevent another outbreak of hostilities.

After reviewing the proposals with Ukrainian and European representatives, Witkoff traveled to Russia to present the framework directly to Putin and discuss whether Moscow would be prepared to proceed with negotiations.

A source familiar with the discussions indicated that the proposed postwar security arrangements could include Ukraine’s eventual membership in the European Union, an issue that has long figured prominently in Kyiv’s plans for its future relationship with Western countries.

Zelensky emerged from Tuesday’s meeting expressing cautious optimism about the American proposals, describing the security commitments under discussion as “strong” and saying he had received “positive signals” from Washington.

The Ukrainian president’s comments suggested that some progress had been made toward resolving disagreements over the guarantees Kyiv would receive in exchange for accepting a negotiated settlement.

Those assurances remain particularly important to Ukraine, which has insisted that any agreement ending the war must include credible measures to deter future Russian military action.

The diplomatic progress follows a period of increasingly strained relations between Trump and Zelensky, particularly over Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and interruptions affecting Ukraine’s military communications capabilities.

Last week, Trump publicly criticized Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil facilities, which the American president argued were contributing to instability in international energy markets.

The dispute intensified as Ukrainian forces continued targeting Russian energy installations, including refineries and oil terminals, in an effort to weaken Moscow’s ability to finance and sustain its military operations.

A Ukrainian air attack on Sunday struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, producing a major fire and underscoring the continuing intensity of the conflict even as diplomatic efforts were underway.

Trump has objected to the economic consequences of such attacks, arguing that disruptions to Russian oil production and exports have contributed to volatility in global energy prices.

On October 9, the president announced an arrangement with Putin involving the suspension of certain American sanctions and the purchase of some Russian oil exports, a move that provided Moscow with economic relief while Washington continued pursuing a negotiated settlement.

The administration’s approach has drawn attention because it combines diplomatic pressure for an end to the fighting with measures that have eased some restrictions on Russia.

Trump also suggested last week that Ukraine could be excluded from a proposed round of international discussions, raising the possibility of a meeting involving the United States, Russia, and China instead.

That suggestion followed the president’s criticism of Zelensky and appeared to cast doubt on whether Kyiv would retain a direct role in the next phase of negotiations.

Wednesday’s announcement from the Kremlin, however, indicated that Moscow was once again prepared to participate in discussions that would include Ukraine alongside the United States.

The diplomatic developments also come amid controversy over restrictions affecting Ukraine’s access to military-grade satellite communications provided through SpaceX technology.

Ukrainian officials reported that access to the Starshield satellite network had been reduced, creating difficulties for military units that depend on the system to coordinate operations and respond to Russian drone attacks.

Starshield, a defense-oriented satellite communications service developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, provides capabilities used by Ukraine’s armed forces and is closely related to the company’s commercial Starlink network.

Zelensky raised concerns about the interruptions, which occurred during a period of heightened military activity and growing disagreements between Washington and Kyiv.

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that the White House had deliberately ordered the restrictions. Defending the administration’s assistance to Kyiv, they maintained that “there would be no Ukraine right now” without American support.

An administration official subsequently told the New York Post that the interruption originated within the Pentagon.

Other accounts, however, suggested that Musk had personally authorized the reduction in service after discussions with Trump and senior administration officials. The competing explanations have left questions about who ordered the restrictions and why.

Meanwhile, additional details emerged Wednesday concerning the meeting between Putin and Witkoff at the Constantine Palace outside St. Petersburg.

The discussions lasted approximately three hours and included Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also participated remotely.

Beyond the proposed resumption of peace negotiations, the participants discussed possible economic cooperation between Washington and Moscow, including Russian energy and fertilizer exports.

Putin also expressed interest in exploring a possible Russian diplomatic role in resolving tensions between the United States and Iran, citing Moscow’s longstanding relationship with Tehran.

Another development during Witkoff’s visit was Russia’s release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American who had been imprisoned since 2022 on accusations of fighting for Ukraine.

Hubbard’s release followed a direct request from Trump to Putin and did not require a prisoner exchange. The American was handed over to Witkoff at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport for his return to the United States.

Despite the renewed diplomatic activity, substantial differences remain between Russia and Ukraine over the terms of a possible settlement.

Moscow continues to demand control over the Donetsk region and opposes Ukrainian membership in NATO, while Kyiv has insisted that any peace agreement must include meaningful security guarantees and protection against renewed Russian aggression.

Earlier rounds of American-mediated negotiations, held in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, produced little progress beyond prisoner exchanges.

The Kremlin also expressed reservations about the latest proposals presented by Witkoff, with Ushakov indicating that Moscow saw limited value in some of the new ideas advanced by Ukraine and European governments.

Zelensky, meanwhile, has said that freezing the existing front lines would represent the minimum step necessary to begin ending the conflict.

Although Putin’s agreement opens the possibility of renewed negotiations in November, no final date, location, or participant list has been formally announced, and the parties have not reached an agreement on the central issues dividing them.

The proposed talks would nevertheless bring Russian, Ukrainian, and American representatives back to the negotiating table after months of stalled diplomacy, as Trump continues pressing for an agreement to end Europe’s deadliest conflict in generations.