This article reflects reporting up to October 30, 2026. Talks and fighting are changing quickly.
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Russia and Ukraine are preparing to resume US-brokered peace talks in November 2026 after months of stalled diplomacy. Putin told Russian television that Moscow was ready to resume talks with Kyiv in November, and said the aim would be a final peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire, according to CNBC.
The talks follow a meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin in St Petersburg. Zelenskyy met Witkoff in Norway the same week and said any agreement would need strong security guarantees for Ukraine, plus funding for ten years to maintain the Ukrainian army.
Ceasefires
A local ceasefire in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, was due to begin on October 27 to allow aid deliveries and the evacuation of residents, according to Reuters and the White House. Trump had also declared an “energy ceasefire” on October 11. Zelenskyy said Ukraine supported it, but said he was waiting for details. Both sides have traded strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure since.
The core disputes
Russia continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas region and abandon its NATO ambitions, and it has also said Ukraine must limit the size of its army. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will not withdraw from the Donbas, has ruled out neutral status, and has rejected limits on its armed forces. Reporting by the Christian Science Monitor described a new US peace proposal that had been reported only through unofficial leaks.
What to watch
Talks are expected in November. Putin has also suggested a meeting with Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit later that month, though no agreement has been announced.
Editor’s note: an earlier version of this article described the August 2025 Alaska summit in garbled and unsourced terms, and included unrelated material. It has been rewritten to report the situation as of October 30, 2026.
Sources
- Reuters via US News, Russia, Ukraine agree on ceasefire in embattled town, to hold peace talks next month (23 October 2026): https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-10-23/russia-ukraine-agree-on-ceasefire-in-embattled-town-to-hold-peace-talks-next-month
- CNBC, Russia and Ukraine trade fresh strikes despite renewed push for US-brokered peace talks (23 October 2026): https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/23/russia-ukraine-strikes-peace-talks.html
- CNBC, Melania Trump-brokered local ceasefire begins as Russia continues attacks on Ukraine (27 October 2026): https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/27/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-trump-putin-ceasefire.html
- CNBC, Trump declares ‘energy ceasefire’ between Russia and Ukraine (11 October 2026): https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/11/trump-energy-ceasefire-russia-ukraine-zelenskyy.html
- Christian Science Monitor, Ukraine peace momentum builds, but Russia sticks to its guns (29 October 2026): https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2026/1029/russia-ukraine-war-peace-talks-trump-china-zelenskyy