US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider restarting US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine and explore new solutions to end the ongoing conflict. This ninth face-to-face meeting occurred at a grand palace in St Petersburg, and it began with Russia’s release of Stephen Hubbard, a retired US teacher who had been detained. During the meeting, Putin expressed his willingness to assist US President Donald Trump regarding concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and proposed supplying the US with fertilizer to support American farmers. He suggested a potential meeting in China next month that could include Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The discussions come amid worries that the US might be easing its support for Ukraine, including withholding real-time intelligence on Russian military actions. Witkoff noted the need for dialogue about resuming trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, emphasizing that even a lack of resolution would still be valuable for future steps. The last such peace talks happened in February. Trump has recently pressured Ukraine to negotiate a settlement to avoid dire consequences.
Putin has shown little willingness to change his main objectives, which involve full control of the Donetsk region and preventing Ukraine from joining NATO. Witkoff met with various leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, before these talks, and spoke of successful discussions that presented some momentum. He brought documents with potential peace deal ideas for Putin to consider and mentioned that Jared Kushner would join the talks remotely to share additional proposals.
A US official indicated that Ukraine brought fresh ideas to the Oslo talks, indicating progress toward a coordinated strategy with Russia, which included essential elements for a peace framework such as security guarantees for Ukraine and a post-war economic plan. Zelenskiy expressed hope to discuss critical issues for ending the conflict during a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin. The Kremlin stated any such meeting would require detailed preparations.
US-Ukraine relations have weakened recently, particularly after Trump’s diesel export deal with Russia aimed at reducing fuel costs for Americans amid rising prices linked to conflicts involving Iran. Following this deal, Ukraine reported disruptions in intelligence-sharing and the use of the Starshield military satellite system. Despite these issues, Zelenskiy mentioned that the Oslo meeting led to an agreement to address them. Reports indicated that Elon Musk had slowed down the Starlink satellite service crucial for Ukraine’s tracking of Russian missile strikes. Musk stated that any decisions about Starlink were made by the US military or the president, while Trump denied responsibility and Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed that Ukraine’s access to Starlink remained intact.
With information from Reuters
