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Witkoff arrives in Russia to meet with Putin following a 'positive' conversation with Zelensky

Trump's special envoy traveled to St. Petersburg to convey to Putin the proposals discussed with the Ukrainian president, amid tensions between Washington and Kiev over the war and the provision of military aid to Ukraine.

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Williams Perdomo
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Williams Perdomo

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The special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, arrived in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after holding talks that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as "positive" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to AFP, the planned meeting between Witkoff and Putin will also include the virtual participation of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, according to a U.S. official. The envoy was greeted at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg by Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin's advisor on international economic cooperation, according to news agencies.

Witkoff's trip is part of Washington's efforts to ease tensions between Trump and Zelensky over the war with Russia. After meeting with the U.S. envoy in Oslo, the Ukrainian president thanked Washington on Tuesday for resuming the exchange of intelligence regarding Russian attacks.

"We are thankful that intelligence works," Zelenskyy told reporters in Oslo. The Ukrainian president emphasized that early warnings are "very, very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians"—given the possibility of ballistic missile attacks.

The positive tone of the talks came after several days of friction between Kiev and Washington. Tensions escalated after Trump reached an agreement with Putin on diesel supplies and called for Zelensky's replacement, following Ukraine's refusal to stop attacking Russian oil refineries.

Rubio stated during a visit to India that Witkoff would subsequently travel to Russia to convey the proposals raised during the talks with the Ukrainian president.

"He'll now, armed with those ideas, be able to go to Saint Petersburg and share them with the Russian side -- and let's see if we can make some progress," the secretary of state said.

Trump pressures Kiev to reach an agreement

Trump said Tuesday that he had asked Putin to release Stephen Hubbard, an American captured by Russian forces years ago in Ukraine. However, it was unclear whether the matter would be addressed during the meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

"I've been talking to him at length. I've asked him to release him. Let's see what happens," Trump told reporters in Washington.

The U.S. president also insisted that Zelensky must reach an agreement with Moscow, as Russia intensifies its attacks with winter approaching.

"Make a deal," Trump said at the White House. Last week, the U.S. president had called for Zelensky's resignation and again criticized him for rejecting conditions that, he said, he had offered during a tense televised discussion in the Oval Office in February 2025.

Ukraine also expressed concern after Trump lifted sanctions against the Russian military. The dispute escalated when Zelensky accused the U.S. president of showing weakness toward Moscow and claimed that Washington was deliberately withholding essential intelligence and delaying the delivery of interceptor missiles.

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