Russian President Vladimir Putin received Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff at the Konstantinovsky Palace near St. Petersburg to discuss new ideas for ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting lasted nearly three hours, and Moscow announced its readiness in principle to resume talks with Ukraine and the US in November.
The news of the renewal of the diplomatic format was announced by Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov. According to him, future talks should focus on “building a security system for Russia and Ukraine“ after the end of the conflict. No final date for the meeting was given.
Ushakov said Witkoff presented Putin with the results of his talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, representatives of Norway and Finland, as well as with European and NATO representatives. The US side discussed guarantees for Ukraine's security, a post-war economic plan and a broader security architecture in Europe.
US citizen released
The talks in St. Petersburg began with the release of Stephen Hubbard. The 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan had been detained in Russia since April 2022 and sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
Hubbard and his US lawyers have denied taking part in hostilities. The US government had determined that he was unlawfully detained. According to Yuri Ushakov, Putin pardoned the American on humanitarian grounds after the issue was raised by the American side.
After his release, Hubbard was taken to Pulkovo Airport. Steve Witkoff was supposed to accompany him on his return to the United States. "Because of you, he is returning to his family," Putin's envoy said, then called the Russian president a humanitarian.
Donald Trump said he had requested Hubbard's release in a phone call with Putin a week earlier. According to the Associated Press, this time no exchange with another detainee was necessary.
Negotiations remain far from agreement
The meeting took place against a backdrop of tensions between Washington and Kiev. Trump is insisting that Ukraine reach a deal to end the war until Putin shows willingness to back down on his main demands. These include Russian control over the Donetsk region and Ukraine's refusal to join NATO.
Donald Trump told reporters that the Ukrainian president must be willing to reach an agreement. Witkoff, for his part, described the talks with Zelensky in Oslo as positive and said he would convey the results to the Russian side.
In addition to the war in Ukraine, Putin and Witkoff discussed the implementation of an October 9 agreement between Moscow and Washington on the supply of Russian diesel to the US and world markets. According to Ushakov, the crisis around Iran is also touched upon.
The next step is to prepare a new round of talks in November. The Kremlin did not say whether they would be at a political level or would begin with technical negotiations between delegations.
Sources: reuters.com, marketscreener.com, apnews.com