US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday for talks on Russia’s war against Ukraine, as US President Donald Trump stepped up pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach a settlement with Moscow. The meeting came a day after Witkoff held discussions with Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo, Norway, as Washington sought to revive its efforts to end the conflict. Witkoff said he hoped to discuss resuming trilateral negotiations involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine, allowing technical teams to work on the next steps towards a possible peace settlement.
Putin thanked Trump and Witkoff for their efforts to end the war. However, there was no immediate indication of a breakthrough, with Moscow and Kyiv remaining far apart on the terms of a settlement. The US-led diplomatic efforts have yet to deliver significant progress, while fighting continues on the battlefield and both sides carry out long-range strikes. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who attended the Oslo meeting, said on Tuesday that the discussions had made “genuine progress”.
Witkoff says peace efforts have gained momentum
Witkoff and Putin met at Constantine Palace in St Petersburg. Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov also attended the meeting, while Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was expected to join the discussions through a video link. Witkoff described the previous day’s talks in Oslo as “productive” and said there was “some degree of momentum” in the diplomatic process. He said he would brief Putin on the discussions with Zelenskyy and European leaders.
During the meeting, Witkoff also thanked Putin for lifting Russia’s ban on diesel exports, a decision that had angered some US lawmakers. Witkoff said the move would help reduce prices for American farmers and truckers. Putin, meanwhile, said Russia was prepared to discuss prospects for restoring economic ties with the United States. He also offered to use Moscow’s relationship with Tehran to help bring peace amid the US-led conflict with Iran. Putin was also scheduled to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang in St Petersburg on Wednesday, according to the Kremlin.
Norway sees possible new phase in negotiations
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Witkoff planned to return to Oslo for further consultations after his visit to Russia. Støre suggested that the diplomatic process could be entering a new phase. “I think we may have entered a phase now where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy,” he told Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy remained in Oslo on Wednesday, where he was scheduled to visit Parliament and meet lawmakers. He said the previous day’s discussions had covered security guarantees for Ukraine, the future of occupied territories, post-war reconstruction and the possibility of a ceasefire.
Despite the diplomatic engagement, the two sides continue to exchange attacks. Trump said on October 11 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacks on energy infrastructure. However, Russia has continued striking Ukraine’s power grid, while Kyiv has targeted Russian oil refineries.
Ukrainian strikes set an oil export terminal and a depot ablaze in St Petersburg on Sunday. Kyiv also launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia in one of the largest aerial attacks of the war.
Trump presses Zelenskyy to reach a deal
The talks in Russia came as Trump increased pressure on Zelenskyy to agree to a settlement. Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, the US president said Washington wanted the Ukrainian leader to make a deal with Moscow. “We want Zelenskyy to make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that the United States had given Ukraine substantial assistance but had received “absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss”.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was willing to consider new US proposals but did not expect a “miracle” from Washington. Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said Ukraine was again receiving early warnings from its partners about incoming Russian missiles after recent attacks that he said had occurred without sufficient advance notice from allies. The change followed discussions with American officials, including a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Russian attacks kill five in Ukraine
While diplomatic efforts continued, Russian attacks killed five people and injured 25 others in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. Three people were killed and 12 injured in overnight attacks in Kyiv, where 10 residential buildings were damaged, the city’s military administration said. Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said energy facilities in Kyiv and three other cities were targeted early Wednesday.
Near the eastern city of Kharkiv, two people were killed and 11 wounded when drones exploded in a residential area, he said. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had struck a warehouse, an electrical substation and a bulk carrier at sea that was heading towards the Ukrainian port of Odesa. The ministry also said Russian air defences intercepted 373 Ukrainian drones overnight across several Russian regions, Crimea and the Black Sea.
The continued attacks underline the challenges facing the latest diplomatic initiative, with negotiations ongoing but no immediate agreement announced.
(With inputs from AP)
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