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Putin meets Witkoff as Kremlin cheers Trump's turn on Ukraine
Vladimir Putin received US envoy Steve Witkoff near St. Petersburg on Wednesday, a day after Oslo talks with Zelensky and European leaders. The Washington Post reports that Moscow sees Trump's recent moves against Kyiv as a sign Western support for Ukraine is cracking.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sat down with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, outside St. Petersburg. The talks began shortly before noon Moscow time, Interfax reported, with Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's envoy for investment and economic cooperation, also at the table. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said negotiations on the war in Ukraine would make up the main part of the meeting.
Witkoff flew in from Oslo, where on Tuesday he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and officials from Britain, France, Germany, Poland, the EU and NATO. A US official said the goal was to test whether a comprehensive proposal built with Ukraine and Europe could serve as the basis for serious negotiations with Russia. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, joined the Oslo talks remotely and did not travel to Russia after falling ill, Ushakov said.
Moscow senses momentum
The meeting comes as the Kremlin regards the administration's recent turn against Zelensky as a major win, The Washington Post reported. Coupled with political upheaval in Europe, Russian officials see it as a sign that Western support for Ukraine is finally breaking down and that Washington is drifting toward closer alignment with Moscow.
US officials said on Monday that the administration had not approved the transfer of interceptor missiles from partner countries that Ukraine needs to stop Russian missile and drone strikes. Trump, who suspended some Russia sanctions earlier this month as part of a diesel supply deal, also suggested Kyiv should change its negotiator. "Maybe it's time for Zelenskyy to get somebody else to negotiate," he told reporters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow appreciates US mediation but that no final settlement is possible without someone from Kyiv who is ready to take responsibility.
An American prisoner on the agenda
Witkoff is also expected to press for the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 72-year-old retired teacher whom Russia accuses of fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary, The New York Times reported. Hubbard is the only American held in Russia whom the State Department has formally designated as wrongfully detained. Russia's Foreign Ministry confirmed talks with Washington on a possible prisoner release, and Trump told reporters on Tuesday to "remember that question for a couple of days from now."
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