U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Wednesday for talks with President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine, carrying an updated proposal that includes new ideas put forward by Kyiv during consultations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in the Norwegian capital Oslo.
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Witkoff was received at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg by Kremlin adviser for international economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev, according to Russian news agencies.
The U.S. news website Axios quoted a U.S. official as saying that Witkoff would present Putin with an updated proposal to end the war, as Washington seeks to reach understandings that could pave the way for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The official said the United States, Ukraine and European partners had worked on developing new ideas and proposals to prepare a joint framework that could be presented to Moscow. The Oslo talks made progress toward coordinating positions on the next steps, the official added.
According to Reuters, the discussions covered key elements of a comprehensive peace framework, including long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, an economic plan for the post-war period and broader European security arrangements.
The Oslo consultations were attended by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, as well as representatives from European countries, the European Union and NATO.
Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is expected to join Witkoff’s talks with Putin by video link, according to Axios.
Zelenskyy had proposed a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin to discuss outstanding issues related to ending the war, but Russia has yet to agree to the proposal.
The Ukrainian president has also expressed his country’s readiness to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, provided Moscow takes reciprocal steps to stop targeting Ukrainian energy facilities.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Witkoff’s talks with Zelenskyy as positive, saying the U.S. envoy would convey their results to the Russian side in an effort to advance negotiations toward a settlement of the war.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia expected Witkoff to brief Putin on the results of his contacts with Ukrainian and European officials, while continuing the exchange of views between Washington and Moscow on a number of important issues.
Peskov said the Kremlin attaches great importance to the meetings and expressed appreciation for U.S. mediation efforts aimed at finding a settlement to the war.
