Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in a grand imperial palace on Wednesday to review new ideas on ending the war in Ukraine amid Washington's latest push to stop Europe's bloodiest conflict since the Second World War.
The talks at the Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg are the ninth time that Witkoff has met Putin in person, and come amid concerns in Kyiv and among its allies that the United States is backing away from Ukraine, at times holding back real-time intelligence on Russian attacks.
Putin told Witkoff that Moscow is willing in principle to resume talks next month with Ukraine and the U.S. on ending the war in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said. No such talks have taken place since February.
Russia began the talks with a goodwill gesture — the release of a retired U.S. school teacher, Stephen Hubbard.
The 74-year-old Michigan native was first detained in April 2022 over allegations he had been manning a military checkpoint in Izyum, Ukraine, where he had resided for nearly a decade. Hubbard denied the charges but was later sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison.
"You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that," Witkoff said in response to Putin, who has been subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant since 2023, for the alleged unlawful deportation of children and unlawful transfer of people from Ukraine.
Witkoff flew into Russia a day after conducting what a U.S. official called "constructive" talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leaders of Finland and Norway and European and NATO representatives.
A real estate magnate like Trump, Witkoff had no diplomatic experience before last year. Democrats have raised concerns about the potential conflicts of interest for Witkoff and fellow envoy Jared Kushner, given their extensive global business interests.
Putin has shown few signs of compromising on his central war aims, which include full Russian control of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine and no NATO membership for Kyiv.
