Steve Witkoff, the U.S. president’s special envoy, flew to St. Petersburg this morning for a meeting with Vladimir Putin, part of a renewed U.S. effort to restart talks on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. Jared Kushner, the U.S. president’s son-in-law, who usually accompanies Witkoff on such trips, did not travel to Russia because of illness but is taking part in the meeting by video link.
Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s special representative, met Witkoff at Pulkovo Airport. The meeting with Putin began around noon Moscow time at Konstantinovsky Palace, and its opening was open to the press. Witkoff thanked Putin for agreeing to the “diesel deal” and said he hoped the Russian president would consider resuming trilateral talks. He also said he had brought documents outlining approaches to a peaceful settlement.
Putin announced that Russia had released U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had fought for Ukraine’s armed forces. After he fell into Russian captivity, a court sentenced him to nearly seven years in prison on charges of mercenary activity.
Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo the day before his meeting with Putin. The talks also included Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and representatives from the EU, NATO, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland. Kushner took part in the meeting online.
After the talks, Stubb said they had made “real progress on two levels”: in the short term and in a broader context. He said the discussions touched on key issues including air defense, energy facilities, and the possibility of a partial ceasefire.
Zelensky said Ukraine and the West have “clear ideas about how to achieve peace,” including organizing a trilateral meeting with Trump, Putin, and Zelensky himself “to resolve issues that only leaders can resolve.”
Moscow has repeatedly said it sees the point of that meeting only in the final stages of negotiations. After the talks in Oslo, Trump said he believes Putin and Zelensky do not “don’t have to be in the same room” at a trilateral meeting.
Sources cited by Axios said the discussions in Oslo focused on drafting a framework agreement to end the war, which would then be proposed to Russia. The outlet reported that the parties made “meaningful progress” and reached a “strong alignment at the working level” on further steps. Axios sources said Kushner again asked Ukraine at the meeting to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Witkoff is expected to leave Moscow later today and return to Oslo, where he will meet again with Norwegian Prime Minister Støre to brief him on his talks with Putin.
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