Putin Says Russia Ready to Resume Three-Way Talks, Claims Russians and Ukrainians Are 'One People'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said for the first time publicly that he held talks with Steve Witkoff, special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, and set out Moscow's position on the war in Ukraine. He spoke in an interview with Pavel Zarubin, a correspondent for the Russian state broadcaster VGTRK, published on 22 October 2026.

Three-way talks

Putin said Russia had agreed with U.S. representatives that it is ready to resume three-way talks. According to him, their purpose would be to discuss how to secure both Ukraine and Russia after peace agreements are reached. He stressed that this means a final settlement, not a pause in the fighting.

The territorial question

Zarubin also asked about a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with Fox News. Zelensky said he was prepared to freeze the conflict along the line of contact, keeping 75% of Ukraine's territory and losing 25%. Putin replied that it was "not their territory" but "the territory of historical Russia."

Claims about the war and the two peoples

Putin asserted that it is Ukraine, not Russia, that wants war. He said Russia does not want to fight Ukraine, and asked why Ukraine's current leadership believes others should pay for its war and supply it with weapons. At the same time, he said Russia remains ready to negotiate and look for a way out of the difficult situation.

He also said the Ukrainian people are very close to Russians, and that the latest genetic studies show Russians and Ukrainians are one people. Meduza notes that it is unclear which studies he meant.