US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, presenting an updated peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine, according to Axios, which cited a US official. The meeting at the Constantine Palace marked the ninth time Witkoff has sat down with Putin in person, and it followed a day of intensive talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders.
Witkoff arrived carrying a proposal shaped by the Oslo consultations, where Ukraine and its European backers outlined ideas including security guarantees for Kyiv. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, joined the St. Petersburg session remotely, while Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev greeted Witkoff at the airport. The Guardian reports that the talks began with a goodwill gesture from Moscow: the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher Washington had designated as wrongfully detained.
According to Axios, the Kremlin said after the meeting that Russia had agreed in principle to resume negotiations with Ukraine and the United States after November 10. No ceasefire was announced and no settlement was agreed. Putin also offered to help Trump in dealing with Iran, saying Moscow had a decades-long relationship with Tehran it could leverage over nuclear concerns, and he floated a potential meeting with Trump in China next month.
The two sides remain far apart on core terms. Zelenskyy has publicly called for a trilateral leaders' summit with Trump and Putin, a format Moscow has rejected, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ruled out what he called political concessions. Trump has intensified pressure on Kyiv to strike a deal, telling Zelenskyy on Tuesday it was time to end the war. Whether the Witkoff shuttle produces real negotiations or another round of delay will become clearer in the weeks ahead.