Vladimir Putin and US President's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff discussed in St. Petersburg the possibilities of ending the war in Ukraine, restoring Russian-American relations and supplying diesel fuel. The meeting took place a day after talks between Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo.
“There is progress“, Witkoff told Putin, describing the talks with Zelensky as productive. According to him, the necessary basis has been created to reach a ceasefire and discuss the next steps.
The US envoy expressed hope that Russia would consider the possibility of resuming trilateral talks involving Moscow, Kiev and Washington. He specified that technical teams could participate in them to discuss in detail the parameters of a future agreement. Witkoff brought documents with American proposals for resolving the conflict.
The released American citizen
At the beginning of the meeting, Witkoff thanked Putin for the release of Stephen Hubbard. The American citizen, who was convicted in Russia, is at the “Pulkovo“ airport and is expected to travel to the United States. Witkoff said that he would meet with him before his departure.
Putin, in turn, thanked Witkoff and President Donald Trump for their attention to the humanitarian consequences of the war. He said that the US president, in his last telephone conversation, had emphasized the need to end the loss of life among servicemen and the suffering of the civilian population.
The first tanker with Russian diesel
During the conversation, Putin announced that the first tanker with Russian diesel for the US would leave in two or three days. It would be loaded with 40,000 tons of fuel, and other ships were expected to follow.
“They will leave one after the other“, Putin said, noting that the main condition for the implementation of the agreement was to ensure the financial side of the operations. According to the president, since the announcement of the Russian-American agreement, world diesel prices have decreased by 5-6%. These figures are part of Putin's statement and have not been confirmed in published materials by independent price statistics.
The Russian president also said that Moscow could increase fertilizer supplies to the US market. He also mentioned the possibility of discussing with Trump a future meeting in China, as well as the prospects for restoring economic contacts between Russia and the US.
Sources: tass.ru, apnews.com, marketscreener.com