Diplomacy

The Kremlin says it hopes to finalise a three-way leaders’ meeting within days, while the White House says the first lady will receive Russian and Ukrainian representatives on Thursday over the Kherson truce.

Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky will lead Moscow’s side, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, as Washington works to broker security arrangements for ending a war now in its fifth year.

US envoy Steve Witkoff announced a new round of working-level negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow in the UAE next week, the first US-brokered round since February, while the two sides remain far apart on territory.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said both countries fail the programme’s eligibility test. Their duty-free access to the American market is due to end in January 2027, with South Africa’s $1.7 billion in exports at stake.

Tehran’s foreign ministry cut its proposed timetable for restoring passage through the strait from a week to 48 hours, but says the next move belongs to the US, with midterms a day away.

In an interview with CNN Turk, the Ukrainian president called Turkey a realistic mediator and said any ceasefire should begin along current front lines, ahead of technical talks in Abu Dhabi.

An official told Reuters the delegation left Qatar on Sunday and a follow-up meeting is possible. Tehran says its seven-step plan to reopen Hormuz and end the US blockade is the basis, with a faster timeline.

Canada’s prime minister said negotiators from both countries will work in the coming weeks toward a trade agreement, two days before US midterm elections in which tariffs have become a campaign issue.

Iran’s security council secretary says Washington’s approach has changed, yet Tehran wants its demands met first, as Araghchi links reopening the strait on Iranian terms to a possible path toward talks.

Iran’s foreign minister says no meetings with US officials are planned, but Tehran is working with Qatari and Pakistani mediators on terms for reopening Hormuz and reviving the ceasefire.

Ukraine’s president travelled to Turkey on 31 October to discuss bilateral ties, diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia and the safety of Black Sea shipping with President Erdogan.

The three allies’ top diplomats issued the statement on the sidelines of the G20 in Atlanta as Donald Trump seeks another meeting with Kim Jong Un, whose government calls its nuclear status permanent and irreversible.