Yesterday's meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia is a leading topic in the Western press today.
Inspired by Donald Trump's support, Vladimir Putin is not making any concessions, writes the newspaper "Mond".
Witkoff, who was received yesterday by the Russian president near St. Petersburg, expressed his respect for the Kremlin's master, welcoming his "humanitarian" actions. However, he failed to achieve the slightest concession from his host, who rejects all ideas of a truce with Kiev.
Steve Witkoff arrived alone in St. Petersburg to contribute, as he himself put it, to advancing the path to peace, the French publication notes.
Putin received Witkoff at the Konstantinovsky Palace, known as the "Russian Versailles", which is located in the vicinity of the former imperial capital. The conversation lasted two and a half hours, and also included financier Kirill Dmitriev and the Russian president's adviser on diplomatic affairs Yuri Ushakov.
Vladimir Putin ordered the release of an American from a Russian prison amid his meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff, dedicated to finding a way to end the war in Ukraine, writes the Guardian.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump had asked Putin to release Stephen Hubbard - a 74-year-old former teacher who spent more than four years in Russian prisons on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
The American's release appears to be the latest calculated move by Moscow to bring Trump closer to Putin's position on Ukraine, giving the US president a diplomatic victory before the US midterm elections, the Guardian commented.
Hubbard was released unilaterally by Russia, rather than as part of a prisoner exchange, as has often happened in the past with other Americans held by Russian authorities.
After the release was announced, Trump wrote on social media that he had made a direct request to Putin about it last week.
"The United States, out of respect for President Trump, did not need to give anything in return - an unprecedented situation for Russia," the American leader wrote on his social network "Truth Social".
At the same time, Witkoff welcomed Putin during their meeting at the Konstantinovsky Palace, describing the Russian president as acting on humanitarian grounds.
"You talk a lot about my president, President Trump, acting on humanitarian grounds. "But you are also acting on humanitarian grounds, sir, and I welcome that," Witkoff told Putin. The US envoy conveyed to Putin Trump's thanks for the deal to resume Russian diesel exports to the US.
Witkoff's warm words for Putin stand in stark contrast to the increasingly hostile rhetoric from senior US officials, particularly Trump, towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Guardian notes.
Witkoff arrived in Russia from Oslo, where he had met Zelensky and European leaders the day before, trying to give momentum to the stalled talks.
"We have brought some documents. They contain some ideas, something like a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine," Witkoff told Putin during the televised part of their conversation.
"Guardian" notes that this is Witkoff's ninth visit to Russia since President Trump tasked him with finding a way to end the war.
The British publication dwells on Witkoff's words that the meeting with Putin was "constructive", but that "important work" remains to be done and that trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine are coming "at a technical level".
The Kremlin said that "in principle" it agrees with the negotiations, which will focus on how to guarantee the security of Ukraine and Russia once the war is over.
The British newspaper "The Times" also draws attention to Witkoff's words that Putin has shown his ability to act on humanitarian grounds.
Witkoff has visited Moscow more than once in his role as a peace envoy appointed by Trump and often meets with Kirill Dmitriev in Miami, writes the "Independent" newspaper. At the same time, the British publication notes that he has only visited Ukraine once.
American citizen Steven Hubbard, who was released by Putin, was captured by Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine in 2022, weeks after the full-scale invasion of Russia's forces in Ukraine, the "Washington Post" newspaper indicates. Russian prosecutors had charged him with fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine, the American publication also writes.
Steve Witkoff offered words of praise for Putin amid President Donald Trump's increasingly critical tone toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump has called for Zelensky to step down and suggested that Russia is more likely to end the war than Ukraine, The Washington Post reported.