Putin tells Trump swift Ukraine talks return is unlikely

According to the Kremlin, Putin told Trump during an October 9 call that talks among Russia, Ukraine and the United States were not likely to restart straight away. The account came as US, Ukrainian and European officials held discussions in Miami and Trump announced an arrangement for Russian diesel supplies.²⁴⁵

Kremlin account of call

The Kremlin said Putin had told Trump that Kyiv had damaged the prospects for an immediate return to negotiations. Yury Ushakov, the Kremlin foreign policy aide, said a large drone attack had affected Moscow, other cities, polling stations and people involved in organising the election. He said the timing for any renewed negotiations would now be assessed.²³⁵

Putin said Moscow had been prepared to restart negotiations with Kyiv after the Russian parliamentary elections, according to reports of the call. Ukraine said, however, that it was prepared to join three-way discussions with the United States and Russia this month.²³

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the war as being at a dangerous stalemate. He said the United States would continue seeking a settlement, according to the Kremlin-account report.²³

Miami discussions and diesel agreement

The telephone conversation followed talks in Miami involving US, Ukrainian and European officials, according to the Associated Press. The Guardian reported that the discussions, aimed at ending the war, lasted six hours and covered a possible postwar economic package for Ukraine and a potential security architecture involving Europe and Russia.¹⁴

Separate reporting said Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and a Ukrainian negotiating team took part in Miami discussions lasting about eight hours. Axios reported that the administration pursued the diesel arrangement after repeated US requests to Kyiv about attacks on Russian refineries.⁶

Trump announced that Russia had agreed to supply diesel to US and global markets. Al Jazeera reported that the planned volume was more than 300,000 tonnes, while the Kremlin said Putin and Trump had discussed economic initiatives including possible Russian fuel supplies.²³

Criticism and continued attacks

Zelenskyy criticised Trump’s decision to lift diesel sanctions on Russia, calling the agreement a "gift to Putin". He also said Ukraine’s negotiating team was being used as a smokescreen for the diesel decision, according to the Guardian and Al Jazeera.¹³

The diesel arrangement was also criticised by US lawmakers and European allies, according to Al Jazeera. The United Kingdom said it would maintain pressure on Russia through its sanctions regime.³

Fighting continued alongside the diplomatic activity. The Guardian reported that Russian attacks across Ukraine left three people dead and at least eight injured, while the Associated Press put the death toll from Russian attacks at seven. Russia’s defence ministry said Russian troops attacked three freighters at or near Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, claiming the vessels were supplying Ukraine’s armed forces.¹⁴

The Guardian also reported that Yandex said a drone strike partly disabled its datacentre in Russia’s Kaluga region; Firepoint said Ukraine used FP-1 one-way attack drones. Austrian authorities arrested four Ukrainians on suspicion of spying, with three remaining in custody, the report said.¹