In brief
After two intense days of negotiations in Oslo and St Petersburg, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store reported a "constructive" tone, yet Russian signals indicate limited interest in a direct table with President Zelensky. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov critiqued the talks as largely useless, hinting that Putin is not pressing for a swift resolution. The U.S. is easing sanctions, buying Russian diesel, and courting a potential trilateral summit, but Moscow’s war fatigue and winter strategy suggest the Kremlin remains unconcerned. While a Trump‑Putin‑Zelensky meeting may be a distant possibility, underlying geopolitical calculations lag behind the rhetoric. In the broader picture, the Assad‑Zelensky‑Trump apex may be more about power balance than a genuine peace treaty.
In a fragile moment for Ukrainian negotiators, the United States has sent its special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Oslo and St Petersburg in an attempt to reinvigorate peace talks. Following a "good and constructive" meeting in Oslo that involved Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and U.S. officials, the door has swung open to the possibility of a historic three‑way summit.
What the Talks Revealed
The Oslo talks offered a glimmer—if only brief—of cooperation, with Witkoff suggesting that a joint meeting with President Putin could bring the conflict to a close. In St Petersburg, however, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov delivered a hard line snapshot, describing the discussions as "worthless" for resolving the war.
Ushakov’s remarks sourced from a Russian state‑TV interview underline Putin’s apparent lack of urgency: the war’s prolonged state—and the implied advantage of a looming winter—may be the very conditions that sustain the Kremlin’s appetite for continued conflict.
US Moves and Usuranov’s Skepticism
Witkoff acknowledged that President Donald Trump remains "committed to seeing this war end," but this commitment sits beside a U.S. policy that has eased sanctions and coincided with the purchase of Russian diesel—a strategy that belies a desire for engagement rather than isolation.
While the notion of a Trump‑Putin‑Zelensky summit still hovers, experts argue that a more realistic prospect involves a postponed, technical‑level meeting in Abu Dhabi or even a broader session in China during next month’s APEC gathering. The echo of the historic Yalta Conference names such a summit as a "New Yalta," underscoring the weight behind these potential negotiations.
A Variable Landscape
For now, the international community faces a mosaic of uncertainty. Zelensky, Trump, and Putin may very well cross paths in the future, but the Kremlin’s current focus on bombing capabilities and territorial consolidation keeps a swift ceasefire out of reach.
The picture remains: a combination of U.S. diplomatic zeal, Russian strategic patience, and the rocking sines of war. Whether this blend tips toward a genuine peace or simply reaffirms the status quo is the question that will shape the next chapters of global politics.
