Putin aide says Ukraine war settlement nearing completion

'Heading in that direction'

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said Wednesday that the ongoing war in Ukraine is nearing a settlement, telling reporters that while diplomatic momentum is building, it remains difficult to assess exactly how close the parties are to finalizing an agreement. "I don't know how close we're getting, but things are heading in that direction," he said, responding to questions from the Vesti news outlet regarding the timeline for ending the over-four-year conflict.

Ushakov's assessment came following a meeting in St. Petersburg earlier Wednesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. The presidential aide briefed reporters on the discussions, noting that the two leaders examined prospects for reviving stalled peace negotiations while reviewing the framework for a post-war security architecture.

November talks proposed

Ushakov stated that Putin told Witkoff Moscow is ready "in principle" to resume trilateral Ukraine talks around Nov. 10, particularly regarding the construction of a post-war "security system" for both capitals. The proposed date would mark the first formal negotiations between the parties since mid-February.

Moscow and Kyiv last held US-mediated peace negotiations earlier this year, conducting three rounds of talks on Jan. 23-24, Feb. 4-5, and Feb. 17-18. The first two sessions took place in Abu Dhabi, while the third was held in Geneva.