US ENVOY STEVE Witkoff has held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg about Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as President Donald Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.
Witkoff said in televised remarks at the start of the meeting that he hoped to discuss the resumption of the trilateral talks involving the US, Russia and Ukraine that would allow the technical teams to discuss the next steps towards a peace settlement.
Putin thanked Trump and Witkoff for their efforts to end the war.
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The visit came a day after Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and some European leaders in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
Witkoff’s meetings suggested leaders are keen to bring new momentum to US-led peace efforts, more than four years after Russia’s army invaded.
Efforts by the Trump administration since early last year to end the war have made no significant progress, and there was no suggestion of an imminent breakthrough.
Russia and Ukraine are still far apart in their terms for a settlement, as their armies remain locked on the battlefield, and they pummel each other with daily long-range strikes.
However, Finnish president Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday that the Oslo meeting, which he attended, “made genuine progress”.
Witkoff and Putin met at St Petersburg’s Constantine Palace, with Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov also at the table.
Witkoff said Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would join the discussion via a video link.
Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff held talks in Russia. Source: Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Witkoff said he would inform Putin about Tuesday’s talks in Oslo, which he described as “productive”, adding that “there is some degree of momentum”.
He thanked Putin for lifting Russia’s ban on diesel exports, which angered some US politicians, adding that it would help reduce prices for US farmers and lorry drivers.
Putin said he was ready to discuss prospects for the restoration of US-Russian economic ties, adding that he is also prepared to discuss the US-led conflict with Iran. Moscow is ready to use its special relationship with Tehran to help bring peace, he said.
Putin was also due to meet on Wednesday with Chinese premier Li Qiang, who was in St Petersburg meeting other top Russian officials, the Kremlin said.
Russia has cultivated its ties with China, and the two countries last month vetoed a US proposal for UN experts to keep monitoring sanctions on Iran.
Witkoff planned to return to Oslo for more consultations after his trip to Russia, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.
‘Make a deal’
Ahead of the talks, Putin announced that Stephen Hubbard, an American taken captive by Russian forces in Ukraine in 2022 and later sentenced to almost seven years in prison, had been freed.
Trump had asked the Russian leader to free Hubbard, a retired English teacher in his 70s who had always denied the charges he was a “mercenary” fighting for Ukraine.
Witkoff hailed the move and called Putin a “humanitarian”.
Trump later said that Hubbard was on his way to the United States and that the release had not been part of a swap deal.
“I’ve been talking to him at length. I’ve asked him to release him. Let’s see what happens,” Trump told journalists in Washington.
Trump has also been keeping up the pressure on Ukraine, saying at the White House that he wanted Zelensky to “make a deal” with Russia, which is ramping up its strikes as a bitter winter looms.
Trump, who called on Zelensky to resign last week, also criticised the Ukrainian president for not accepting terms he said he had offered during an infamous televised row in the Oval Office in February 2025.
Ukraine reacted with dismay after Trump also waived sanctions against Russia’s war machine.
The feud spiralled as Zelensky accused Trump of weakness, and then alleged that the United States was deliberately withholding vital intelligence and delaying the delivery of interceptor missiles.
Ukraine has also reported a reduction in speeds on Starshield, the US military satellite system it uses for battlefield communications and strikes on Russian-occupied territory.
Trump has denied ordering a reduction in speeds on Starshield after Elon Musk — whose company SpaceX developed it — said the order could only have come from the White House.
Rubio said Wednesday that Washington had no prior knowledge of the slowdown of the SpaceX satellite communications.
“The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk,” Rubio said in Mumbai.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that it was indeed Musk who ordered the slowdown in the military-grade version of Starlink.
Trump envoy Witkoff meets Putin for Ukraine war talks
US ENVOY STEVE Witkoff has held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg about Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as President Donald Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.
Witkoff said in televised remarks at the start of the meeting that he hoped to discuss the resumption of the trilateral talks involving the US, Russia and Ukraine that would allow the technical teams to discuss the next steps towards a peace settlement.
Putin thanked Trump and Witkoff for their efforts to end the war.
The visit came a day after Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and some European leaders in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
Witkoff’s meetings suggested leaders are keen to bring new momentum to US-led peace efforts, more than four years after Russia’s army invaded.
Efforts by the Trump administration since early last year to end the war have made no significant progress, and there was no suggestion of an imminent breakthrough.
Russia and Ukraine are still far apart in their terms for a settlement, as their armies remain locked on the battlefield, and they pummel each other with daily long-range strikes.
However, Finnish president Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday that the Oslo meeting, which he attended, “made genuine progress”.
Witkoff and Putin met at St Petersburg’s Constantine Palace, with Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov also at the table.
Witkoff said Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would join the discussion via a video link.
Witkoff said he would inform Putin about Tuesday’s talks in Oslo, which he described as “productive”, adding that “there is some degree of momentum”.
He thanked Putin for lifting Russia’s ban on diesel exports, which angered some US politicians, adding that it would help reduce prices for US farmers and lorry drivers.
Putin said he was ready to discuss prospects for the restoration of US-Russian economic ties, adding that he is also prepared to discuss the US-led conflict with Iran. Moscow is ready to use its special relationship with Tehran to help bring peace, he said.
Putin was also due to meet on Wednesday with Chinese premier Li Qiang, who was in St Petersburg meeting other top Russian officials, the Kremlin said.
Russia has cultivated its ties with China, and the two countries last month vetoed a US proposal for UN experts to keep monitoring sanctions on Iran.
Witkoff planned to return to Oslo for more consultations after his trip to Russia, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.
‘Make a deal’
Ahead of the talks, Putin announced that Stephen Hubbard, an American taken captive by Russian forces in Ukraine in 2022 and later sentenced to almost seven years in prison, had been freed.
Trump had asked the Russian leader to free Hubbard, a retired English teacher in his 70s who had always denied the charges he was a “mercenary” fighting for Ukraine.
Witkoff hailed the move and called Putin a “humanitarian”.
Trump later said that Hubbard was on his way to the United States and that the release had not been part of a swap deal.
“I’ve been talking to him at length. I’ve asked him to release him. Let’s see what happens,” Trump told journalists in Washington.
Trump has also been keeping up the pressure on Ukraine, saying at the White House that he wanted Zelensky to “make a deal” with Russia, which is ramping up its strikes as a bitter winter looms.
Trump, who called on Zelensky to resign last week, also criticised the Ukrainian president for not accepting terms he said he had offered during an infamous televised row in the Oval Office in February 2025.
Ukraine reacted with dismay after Trump also waived sanctions against Russia’s war machine.
The feud spiralled as Zelensky accused Trump of weakness, and then alleged that the United States was deliberately withholding vital intelligence and delaying the delivery of interceptor missiles.
Ukraine has also reported a reduction in speeds on Starshield, the US military satellite system it uses for battlefield communications and strikes on Russian-occupied territory.
Trump has denied ordering a reduction in speeds on Starshield after Elon Musk — whose company SpaceX developed it — said the order could only have come from the White House.
Rubio said Wednesday that Washington had no prior knowledge of the slowdown of the SpaceX satellite communications.
“The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk,” Rubio said in Mumbai.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that it was indeed Musk who ordered the slowdown in the military-grade version of Starlink.
With additional reporting by PA
Donald Trump Oslo Peace Talks Russia Ukraine War Steve witkoff Under Pressure Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelenskyy Politics International