Russia has agreed to potentially resume talks regarding the conflict in Ukraine, but a senior Kremlin foreign policy aide stated that there was "not much there that was useful" in new proposals discussed during recent diplomatic efforts.

The comments from Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy aide to President Vladimir Putin, follow two days of discussions involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, and European representatives in Oslo and St. Petersburg.

During the Oslo leg of the diplomacy, the idea of a trilateral meeting at leaders' level was explored, with the hope that Witkoff's subsequent trip to Russia would facilitate a summit between Putin, Zelensky, and Trump to end the fighting. However, Ushakov's lukewarm assessment suggests a significant hurdle remains in finding common ground.

Ushakov indicated that while Witkoff briefed Putin on the discussions in Oslo and "new approaches" from European representatives and Kyiv, the Kremlin found these insufficient for resolving the crisis. He added that Russia might be willing to resume technical-level trilateral talks next month in Abu Dhabi.

Despite the lack of immediate breakthroughs, Ushakov also offered a cautiously optimistic note, stating that "things are moving in that direction" regarding peace prospects, though he described the overall situation as "rather vague."

Sources suggest that President Putin may not feel pressured to end the war, potentially seeing Ukraine's strained air defenses and the approaching winter as advantageous. Additionally, the current US administration's perceived desire for improved relations with Moscow is seen as easing pressure on the Kremlin.

Recent actions by US President Trump, including pausing some sanctions on Moscow and expressing criticism of President Zelensky, have been viewed favorably by Russia. One Russian MP described Trump as the "only leader in the Western world who is doing something for peace."

While a Putin-Zelensky-Trump trilateral meeting appears unlikely in the immediate future, a separate meeting between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Xi Jinping is reportedly being considered for China next month.