U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss a potential negotiated resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. During the meeting at Constantine Palace, Witkoff expressed hope for the resumption of trilateral talks between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. While Kremlin officials stated a resolution is "theoretically possible," Russian state media reported that Moscow maintains its existing demands and expects Ukraine to make "necessary decisions" to end the war.
The St. Petersburg visit followed a Tuesday meeting in Oslo between Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Witkoff's Oslo talks as "positive," noting that the envoy intended to share ideas from Zelenskyy with the Russian side. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy told Fox News that trilateral talks involving himself, Putin, and President Donald Trump were the best path forward, though he specified that any final resolution would require approval by the Ukrainian Parliament.
During the meeting, Putin and Witkoff confirmed the release of Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen who had been jailed in Russia for more than four years. President Trump stated that Hubbard was freed without a prisoner swap, but linked the release to the U.S. preventing new sanctions against Moscow from taking effect the previous week. Additionally, Russian state media reported that the first shipment of diesel fuel was dispatched to the U.S. on Wednesday, following an October 10 agreement for Russia to release millions of tons of fuel.
For U.S. households, the October 10 diesel agreement between Washington and Moscow involves the delivery of millions of tons of fuel intended to impact domestic energy supplies and costs. Furthermore, the decision to prevent new sanctions against Russia last week, which Trump linked to the release of Stephen Hubbard, affects the legal framework governing international trade and the financial restrictions placed on Russian entities by the U.S. government.
The discussions also involve a potential three-way meeting between the U.S., Russia, and China. While the White House and Russian officials have indicated such a meeting is possible, Ukrainian officials have expressed concern about being sidelined from negotiations regarding their own territory. Zelenskyy stated on Wednesday that he would not accept a resolution crafted by China, Russia, and the U.S. without Ukrainian participation. Witkoff is scheduled to return to Oslo for further consultations with European officials following his time in Russia. No specific dates for future trilateral or quadrilateral meetings have been finalized.