Witkoff–Putin Talks End Without a Deal on Ukraine
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff's marathon meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday ended without a breakthrough: the Kremlin said the sides found no "compromise option" on Ukraine, though they had not moved further apart and were willing to continue talking. The talks at Constantine Palace lasted more than five hours and came a day after Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo.
Witkoff pushed Putin to reopen a three-way negotiating format bringing together the U.S., Russia and Ukraine, and said he had brought documents on possible settlement approaches; Jared Kushner joined the talks by phone. Putin countered by proposing a meeting with President Trump in China — a three-way with Xi Jinping at the APEC summit next month. Economics featured heavily: Putin said a new Russia–U.S. diesel deal had already cut global market prices by five to six percent and offered more fertilizer for American farmers.
The day carried one concrete result: Russia freed 74-year-old American Stephen Hubbard, whom the U.S. says was wrongfully detained since 2022. Hubbard was escorted to Pulkovo Airport as the talks began, and Witkoff thanked Putin, saying, "Thanks to you, he is going home to his family."
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