Putin hosts Trump envoy for Ukraine peace talks, releases US citizen
Photo: Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin met US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss new proposals for ending the war in Ukraine. Moscow also released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American schoolteacher detained in Russia, as a goodwill gesture.
The meeting at the Constantine Palace marked the ninth time Witkoff had met Putin in person. The talks came as US President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Ukraine to reach an agreement to end the conflict.
Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg a day after holding what a US official described as constructive talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the leaders of Finland and Norway, and European and NATO representatives.
The Oslo discussions covered key elements of a comprehensive peace framework, including security guarantees for Ukraine, postwar economic reconstruction and a broader European security architecture.
A US official said Ukraine had presented new ideas and proposals during the discussions, making meaningful progress toward a coordinated approach to engaging with Russia. Witkoff was expected to share the proposals with Russian officials.
However, Trump warned Zelenskiy that he needed to pursue an agreement to end the war.
“He’s going to have to want to make a deal, because I don’t think his people are going to stand for it any longer,” Trump told reporters ahead of the Russia talks.
Concerns have grown in Kyiv and among its allies that Washington is reducing its support for Ukraine. Relations between the United States and Ukraine have deteriorated since Trump announced a diesel export deal with Russia earlier this month.
Ukraine has also reported disruptions to intelligence sharing and its use of the Starshield military satellite system. Zelenskiy said the Oslo meeting had produced an agreement to address those issues.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that billionaire Elon Musk had ordered a slowdown in a military grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service used by Ukraine to track Russian ballistic missile attacks. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Witkoff’s meeting with Zelenskiy was positive and that the envoy would share its results with Russia. He also denied that Washington had restricted Kyiv’s access to Starlink.
Putin has shown little willingness to compromise on his central war objectives, including securing full Russian control of Ukraine’s Donetsk region and preventing Kyiv from joining NATO.
Meanwhile, Putin told Witkoff that Hubbard was waiting at an airport to return to the United States with the envoy. Witkoff thanked the Russian president for the gesture.
Hubbard was detained in April 2022 and later sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison on mercenary charges that he denies. His family and US-based lawyer have questioned the allegations.
