Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, landed in St. Petersburg, Russia on Wednesday for talks with President Vladimir Putin. The meeting aims to advance proposals to end the war in Ukraine and create a pathway for broader negotiations. Witkoff arrived in Russia directly from a summit he held Tuesday night in Norway with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
A senior U.S. official said the Norway talks achieved “significant progress.” According to the official, Ukraine “raised new ideas and proposals that were discussed in detail,” and the two sides are now in “strong coordination” on next steps. The meeting between Witkoff and Putin is expected to take place in the first half of the day, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
According to the American source, “the discussions focused on key components of a comprehensive peace framework, including long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, an economic and reconstruction plan for the post-war period, and a broader European security architecture designed to create lasting stability.” Ukraine and its allies reiterated the red lines Kyiv has set for any negotiations, including rejecting any demand to give up territory.
Russia, meanwhile, is demanding that Ukraine surrender all of the eastern Donbas region, most of which is now under Russian control. Moscow is also calling on Ukraine to dramatically reduce the size of its military and commit to never joining NATO. “We have clear ideas on how to achieve peace, and we are united with our European partners in this effort,” Zelensky said yesterday.
The American official added on a positive note that “the teams are working together exceptionally well, with a shared commitment to finding practical solutions to end the war.” It was also noted that Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law who is also involved in the negotiations, has the flu and will join the meeting in Russia online.