US envoy Steve Witkoff has begun his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg, according to news reports, a day after holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo.
The meeting in St. Petersburg is the ninth to take place between Witkoff and the Russian leader.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said that Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, would not personally attend proceedings due to illness, and reportedly will join the meeting virtually.
“We have some clear ideas on how to get to peace,” Zelenskyy told reporters after the talks, which were hosted by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Oslo on 20 October.
Zelenskyy said Witkoff would present Russia with a proposal for three-way talks involving the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States.
“We want the Americans to take these ideas to the Russians,” Zelenskyy said, adding that “one of the important ideas is to move to a potential trilateral meeting of the leaders to address the issues that only the leaders can do.”
Trump commented on the possibility of direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy, saying the two leaders did not need to meet face-to-face to reach a deal.
“They don’t have to be in the same room. I guess they can do it another way,” Trump told reporters on October 20.
Missile Intelligence ‘Works Now,’ Says Zelenskyy
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is visiting India, described Witkoff’s talks with Zelenskyy in Oslo as “positive.”
“It was positive, nothing unexpected, nothing surprising, and he’ll now, armed with those ideas, be able to go to St. Petersburg and share them with the Russian side — and let’s see if we can make some progress,” Rubio told reporters on 21 October.
Zelenskyy said he was grateful to the US for providing intelligence on Russian missile strikes, adding that early-warning systems were now working effectively.
“We are thankful that intelligence works…. I’m speaking about early warning, which is very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians, because we can hear when ballistic [missiles are] coming,” Zelenskyy told reporters in the Norwegian capital.
Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv had immediately backed the American proposal for an energy cease-fire, but Russia continued its attacks, highlighting the need for strong security guarantees for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was seeking a lasting peace rather than a cease-fire, in response to Kyiv’s call for an energy truce.
Stubb said the Oslo talks had yielded “genuine progress” on both the long-term outlook and more immediate issues.
He said the participants had identified “some elements of peace” in the broader picture, along with key points concerning security and the economy.
Russian Attacks Continue Amid Talks
Amid ongoing talks, Moscow continued its attacks on Ukraine, killing at least four people as Russian drone and missile strikes hit several regions overnight.
A Russian air strike on Kyiv on 21 October killed two people and injured two others, damaging a 24-story residential building, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported.
Emergency power outages were reported in several parts of the Ukrainian capital following Russian attacks, as energy workers worked to restore electricity, the energy company DTEK reported on 21 October.
In the Kharkiv region, a Russian drone attack killed an 81-year-old woman and an 83-year-old man, according to regional authorities.
In the Lviv region, local authorities said Russian drone “attacked an enterprise” overnight, injuring two workers and damaging a nearby private house with falling debris.
Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with cruise missiles and 186 attack drones, Ukraine’s Air Force reported on 21 October.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces had launched drone strikes against Ukraine’s logistics hubs, port infrastructure, and vessels.
It also reported that Russian air defenses had intercepted and destroyed 373 Ukrainian drones across multiple Russian regions.
Imprisoned American Released
At the Putin-Witkoff meeting, which was being broadcast on a video feed, both men confirmed the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old native of Michigan who was captured by Russian troops in April 2022 and accused of being a mercenary for Ukrainian forces.
Putin said Hubbard was at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport, where he will fly back to the United States with Witkoff.
Trump had said on October 20 ahead of Witkoff’s visit that he had asked Putin to release Hubbard.
“I’ve been talking to him at length. I’ve asked him to release him. Let’s see what happens,” Trump told journalists in Washington.
In 2024, a Russian court sentenced Hubbard to seven years in prison.
(RFE/RL)
