Ukraine and Russia have signalled willingness to resume US-brokered peace talks and are backing a humanitarian mission associated with First Lady Melania Trump. Deep disagreements over territory and security guarantees that resurfaced this week still stand in the way of ending the war after more than four and a half years of fighting.
Kyiv and Moscow have agreed to a local ceasefire so aid can enter next week a stranded town in Ukraine’s southern, war-divided Kherson region. The arrangement followed secret consultations between Melania Trump and civilian negotiators from Russia and Ukraine. The initiative raised hopes of further humanitarian missions, but there were few signs that core positions had shifted. Russia still demands Ukrainian territory it does not fully control, while Kyiv says any deal must include firm guarantees against another invasion.
Within hours of President Vladimir Putin saying he agreed “in principle” to restart talks, Russia launched a deadly barrage of ballistic missiles and drones on Kyiv. The same day Moscow said it had destroyed more than 800 Ukrainian drones heading toward its cities.
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff secured the latest commitment after travelling this week between Oslo and St. Petersburg to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin. A new round would be the fourth brokered by the Trump administration, after the most recent talks in Geneva in February. A Kremlin spokesman said the next round is likely to be held in Abu Dhabi around mid-November. Western governments backing the effort are looking for a formula to break the impasse while acknowledging that territorial and security questions remain open.
President Donald Trump’s ties with Zelenskyy have fallen to a new low. Moscow has been bolstered by Trump’s deal for Russia to supply the United States with diesel and by his rejection of new Russia sanctions. Kyiv has been undermined by disruptions in satellite support for its drones after it rejected a US call to halt strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Ukrainian leaders fear those moves will embolden Putin and reduce his incentive to compromise.
As Trump increased pressure on Zelenskyy and accused him of obstructing peace, Witkoff secured the release of an American who had been jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. At their meeting in St. Petersburg the envoy described the Russian leader as a “humanitarian,” a remark that caused consternation in Ukraine.
Both sides back new talks, but they remain far apart while their armies stay locked on the battlefield and exchange daily long-range strikes. Russia’s demands centre on full control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which it illegally annexed months after the full-scale invasion began in 2022, plus Crimea, seized in 2014. Russia occupies about 20 per cent of Ukraine and has not captured all of the territory in the regions over which it claims sovereignty. Moscow also wants Ukraine to withdraw forces from all four annexed regions, drop its NATO bid, reduce its military, and lift restrictions on the Russian language and a Moscow-affiliated branch of the Orthodox Church.
Speaking on state television late Thursday, Putin said Moscow remains “ready to negotiate and seek solutions to this difficult, complex situation,” and added: “But if some prefer a different path, so be it. In any case, all the objectives of the special military operation will be achieved.”
Zelenskyy, who has publicly advocated talks for months, argues that giving up land would leave Ukraine more exposed to future attacks and that security guarantees are essential. He has reaffirmed support for a ceasefire that would freeze front-line positions, followed by talks on ending the war. Moscow has rejected a pause in fighting until a comprehensive agreement on its terms is reached.
Limited contact has continued for prisoner exchanges and the return of fallen soldiers, but earlier talks made no progress on security arrangements. Ukraine wants guarantees backed by Western allies, ideally NATO membership, which Putin has rejected. The US administration has currently ruled out NATO membership. Other options under discussion include direct US guarantees in what Zelenskyy has called an “Article 5-like format,” and backing from the European-led Coalition of the Willing, a 30-country alliance. Ukraine expects to rely heavily on its own army, with financial support from allies.
“All of these guarantees are possible on the basis of a strong Ukrainian army -- in terms of both numbers and quality -- with clear funding, and not a small amount. Our colleagues in Europe and America know this,” Zelenskyy told reporters Thursday. After the attacks on Kyiv and other cities, he said only greater Western pressure on Moscow would change its calculations. He wrote that it is important to keep seeking ways to end the war, and that “when Russia responds to negotiations with ballistic missiles, real pressure on Russia is needed to bring about different steps -- steps toward ending the killing.”