U.S. will mediate Ukraine-Russia talks aimed at brokering ‘next steps toward peace,’ U.S. envoy Witkoff says

The United States will mediate working-level negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials in November, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Tuesday evening. In an article on

He added that U.S. negotiators would meet this week with representatives of European allies and the NATO alliance, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, to discuss future security guarantees for Ukraine, which is one of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recurring demands for any deal with Russia.

“We look forward to building on the progress made in Kyiv, Oslo and St. Petersburg toward a comprehensive and lasting peace agreement that ensures lasting security for generations to come,” Witkoff said.

Ukraine and Russia held several rounds of U.S.-mediated talks during President Trump’s second term, often resulting in prisoner exchanges or other low-level deals, but Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite some Trump’s controversial concessions The Russian administration has so far refused to abandon its demand that Ukraine accept Russia’s unilateral annexation of some territories seized during the grueling war.

Likewise, Zelensky has consistently ruled out accepting Russia’s forcible seizure of territory, and many U.S. allies in Europe agree that legitimizing Putin’s land grab would set a dangerous precedent.

Witkoff’s latest announcement of planned working-level talks — which typically involve discussions among technocrats, not at the level of senior diplomatic officials or national leaders — comes after the end of a rare localized ceasefire in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region on Sunday.

The brief truce allowed humanitarian supplies to the small Russian-occupied town of Olechky and the evacuation of an unknown number of residents.

The ceasefire, attributed by both sides to US first lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo, has raised hopes of further diplomatic progress toward ending the conflict. war sparked by Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Russia continued to strike the rest of Ukraine during and after the local ceasefire, with further strikes overnight Tuesday across the country.

At least 29 people were killed in a village in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine, authorities said Tuesday.

In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the regional administration said a Russian strike hit a medical facility, injuring 25 people and forcing the evacuation of about 200 patients.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday it had carried out a “massive strike” against energy installations in Ukraine and port infrastructure in the Odessa region.

The mayor of Moscow said that 500 Ukrainian drones heading towards the capital had been destroyed overnight.