Russia has no plans for new talks with the U.S. and Ukraine
Russia currently has no plans to resume trilateral talks with the U.S. and Ukraine on ending the war. Officials in Moscow state that no new meetings are scheduled in the near future, though they add that they are open to further discussions.
Russia does not intend to resume negotiations with the U.S. and Ukraine on ending the war at this time. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. According to him, there are currently no specific plans for a new trilateral meeting. “There are currently no immediate plans to hold talks in this format. What happens next does not depend on us,” Ryabkov said.
At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry representative stated that Moscow allegedly remains open to such contacts. However, Ryabkov placed the blame for the suspension of the trilateral meetings on Ukraine. The statement came amid new signals from the U.S. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on October 8 that the war between Russia and Ukraine had reached a “strategic stalemate.” According to him, there are currently no clear prospects for ending the war through diplomatic means.
Rubio explained that one of the main problems lies in the positions of the parties. He said that Russia demands full control over the Donbas, while Ukraine considers such demands unacceptable. At the same time, the U.S. Secretary of State emphasized that the U.S. is not giving up on its efforts to help the parties reach an agreement. “We have tried to do this before, but so far this goal remains out of reach,” Rubio said.
He also warned of the risk of further escalation. According to Rubio, the current situation could lead to a broader escalation and draw other countries into the conflict. Earlier, Moscow had sent other signals regarding a possible resumption of negotiations. On September 25, Vladimir Putin stated that proposals to resume negotiations with Ukraine remain “on the table.” At that time, he said that Russia was ready to return to dialogue after the State Duma elections.
Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, also stated that the Kremlin is counting on a trilateral meeting involving the U.S. in October. The possibility of such talks was also discussed in Ukraine. However, a new meeting has not yet taken place. One of the factors was the new U.S. sanctions against Russia. The Kremlin stated that they complicate the search for ways to achieve a peaceful settlement.
In 2026, trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. had already taken place. The meetings took place twice in Abu Dhabi and once in Geneva. Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates expressed their readiness to host such talks again. The U.S. also attempted to bring the parties back to the negotiating table in the fall. In early September, Donald Trump sent his representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Moscow and Kyiv. However, they were unable to agree on a new phase of negotiations at that time.
According to the Financial Times, one of the main issues is Russia’s territorial demands. Moscow continues to insist on being granted control over the Donbas, while Ukraine rejects this demand.
Thus, it appears there will be no new trilateral meeting in the near future. At the same time, the U.S. has stated its readiness to continue helping the parties find a way to end the war, while Moscow has expressed openness to dialogue but has stated that it has no specific plans for negotiations.
