Putin says trilateral talks must focus on security for Russia, Ukraine and Europe overall

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia was ready to resume trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States, according to the Kremlin's official website.

In an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin, Putin said talks on a range of issues could lead to a positive outcome, but stressed that Russia sought a solution to end the conflict rather than a short-lived ceasefire.

"The goal of these talks will be to ensure the security of Ukraine and Russia after reaching peace agreements, in their final form, not as a result of a temporary ceasefire for some short period of time. We are ready to resume these contacts to achieve this goal," Putin said.

Putin also said that US special envoy Steve Witkoff had stressed the need to discuss "the architecture of European security as a whole," a view Putin said he shared. "Let's see how things develop in the coming days," he added.

Possible trilateral talks could take place in mid-November, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Wednesday.

Diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict have intensified in recent days, with Witkoff meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo on Tuesday and holding talks with Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly voiced support for a peace deal and said on Wednesday that he was open to freezing the front lines in the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a step toward ending the war.

(With input from agencies)