Putin Hosts Trump Envoy Steve Witkoff for Ukraine Peace Talks as Russia Frees US Citizen
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets US envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg to discuss Ukraine peace proposals while releasing detained American Stephen ...
POLICY WIRE — St. Petersburg, Russia — President Vladimir Putin welcomed US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff inside an imperial palace to review fresh diplomatic proposals aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The high-level engagement kicked off with a notable conciliatory action involving the liberation of Stephen Hubbard, a retired American school teacher who had been detained in Russia following US appeals for his release.
Recent diplomatic sessions held across Oslo and St. Petersburg have concentrated on establishing a comprehensive peace framework alongside necessary security guarantees.
Andriy Kovalenko, who leads Ukraine’s centre for countering disinformation, stated his perspective that Moscow’s primary objective appears to be directing the weight of Washington’s peace initiative squarely onto Kyiv.
Russian leadership previously welcomed US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for discussions in Moscow as the American administration attempts to restart negotiations to halt hostilities.
During these diplomatic missions, the Russian president committed to temporarily halting attacks on Kyiv while the American envoys conducted their scheduled visit to Ukraine.
Russian state media reported that the closed-door discussions inside the official residence in the Russian capital extended for a duration of three hours.
Following the conclusion of the visits to Moscow and Kyiv by the American representatives, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin engaged in a one-hour telephone conversation to evaluate a prospective peace agreement.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
