समाचार Samāchār · World · 21 October 2026

Putin agrees in principle to resume US–Russia–Ukraine talks

After three hours with US envoy Steve Witkoff, Moscow agreed to talks after 10 November, and a first cargo of Russian diesel left for New York.

Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff for about three hours at the Constantine Palace in St Petersburg on 21 October. Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov said Russia agreed in principle to resume three-way talks after 10 November on a post-war security system for Russia and Ukraine. Russia also freed US citizen Stephen Hubbard, AP reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a freeze of the conflict was the minimum Russia must accept and that only a leaders’ summit could break the impasse. Strikes continued on both sides through the week.

Witkoff thanked Putin for lifting Russia’s diesel export ban, and on 22 October a tanker loaded about 40,000 tonnes at Primorsk for New York, Reuters reported, after a 16 October US order suspended threatened tariffs on Russian imports and on large buyers of Russian energy. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on 20 October, where energy supply and a near-final trade deal were on the table.

What a founder takes from it: Waivers on Russian oil are now chips in the US–India trade talks. Build pricing that survives either outcome.