In brief
Russian officials have opened the door to renewed discussions with Ukraine, yet the lack of substantive proposals leaves the peace process stalled. In Oslo, President Zelensky and special envoy Steve Witkoff reported that talks appeared "good and constructive," but Moscow warned that the Kremlin needs more concrete action before it will sit at a table with its Ukrainian counterpart. Russian foreign‑policy aide Yuri Ushakov dismissed the Oslo messages as lacking useful content, and the Kremlin has only offered technical talks in Abu Dhabi next month. Meanwhile, U.S. President Trump’s lukewarm sanctions pause and a proposed Trump‑Putin‑Zelensky summit hint at shifting power dynamics, but a new, decisive trilateral meeting seems unlikely any time soon.
After two days of diplomatic talks in Norway and St Petersburg, the war in Ukraine remains far from concluding.
Russian officials have opened the door to renewed talks — the Kremlin says it is willing to resume technical discussions in Abu Dhabi next month — but it remains unconvinced by the U.S.‑Ukraine proposals that were floated in Oslo. President Zelensky and special envoy Steve Witkoff described the meeting as "good and constructive," yet the lack of concrete steps keeps the peace process stalled.
In St Petersburg, foreign‑policy aide Yuri Ushakov was clear that the Kremlin found the Oslo messages "not useful in resolving the Ukraine crisis." Even after Witkoff relayed what was said, Ushakov noted that the Kremlin's priority was to review the situation rather than to agree on a summit table.
The Kremlin has only offered technical talks, and it is not ready to sit at a side‑by‑side table with President Zelensky unless it finds a real, solid ground— a stance that makes a new U.S.‑Russia‑Ukraine summit unlikely in the immediate future.
Meanwhile, Washington’s recent sanitization of sanctions and its speculation about a Trump‑Putin‑Zelensky gathering continue to shape the diplomatic landscape, but the Russian focus remains on maintaining leverage in the conflict.
