Witkoff meets Putin in St Petersburg after Oslo talks; Russia frees Stephen Hubbard
US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday, a day after talks with Ukraine's Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo. Russia released American Stephen Hubbard at the start of the meeting.
What we know
- US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the Ukraine war.1467
- Witkoff's talks with Putin were reported as his ninth in-person meeting with Putin. Special envoy Jared Kushner took part remotely.124
- Putin announced the release of US citizen Stephen Hubbard at the start of the meeting and told Witkoff he was at Pulkovo Airport. Witkoff thanked Putin for the release, according to reports.46
- Trump wrote on Truth Social that Hubbard was 'on his way back home' and that no swap was required, calling it an unprecedented situation for Russia.6
- Hubbard was sentenced in 2024, after a closed trial, to nearly seven years in prison. Prosecutors said he signed a contract with the Ukrainian military and fought alongside it until being captured, and his family has questioned the charges.4
- On Tuesday in Oslo, Witkoff met Zelenskyy, Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finland's President Alexander Stubb, European officials and NATO officials. Witkoff described the talks as productive and said there was 'some degree of momentum'.126
- Zelenskyy said the US had restored intelligence sharing on Russian strikes and said he had received assurances of 'strong' security guarantees. He described the talks as positive.124
- At the Oslo talks, the US side discussed a proposal laying out a framework for peace, security guarantees and post-war economic cooperation. Witkoff was to present updated documents to Russia.26
- In St Petersburg, Witkoff asked Putin to consider resuming trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine, which could involve technical teams, and presented documents outlining approaches to a settlement.16
- Putin said Russia could help the US in dealing with Iran, citing its decades-long relationship with Tehran, and offered to supply fertiliser to the US. Putin also said he wanted to discuss a possible meeting with Trump in China next month, which the Kremlin has suggested could include Chinese President Xi Jinping.16
- Trump said on Tuesday it was time for Ukraine to end the war, and Ukraine and Russia remain far apart on the terms of any peace deal. Russia has so far rejected a trilateral meeting that Zelenskyy has proposed with Putin and Trump.126
- Russia and Ukraine continued long-range attacks during the diplomacy. A Ukrainian drone attack in Russia's Bryansk region killed at least one person, and a Russian attack on a Kyiv high-rise killed two, according to officials cited by Al Jazeera.1
Where the reports differ
Who ordered the slowdown of Ukraine's Starshield satellite internet access
- The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter, that Elon Musk ordered the slowdown.14
- Musk said any such decision is taken by the US military or the president, and that the order could only have come from the White House.14
- Trump said he was not responsible, and Rubio said the president had nothing to do with decisions made by Starlink, Starshield or Musk, and that Washington had not pulled back Kyiv's access.14
- Zelenskyy and Ukrainian officials said access was throttled, preventing military drone operations, while Trump administration officials and Musk denied a deliberate slowdown.24
Still unclear
- Whether Putin will agree to resume trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine.
- Whether Putin will review and respond to the US documents and updated proposal presented in St Petersburg.
- Whether a Trump-Putin meeting in China next month will take place, and whether Xi Jinping will attend.
- Whether Russia will accept a trilateral meeting between Zelenskyy, Putin and Trump, which Zelenskyy said should be the next step.
- What the specific terms of the proposed peace framework and security guarantees are.
- Whether Ukraine will receive the Patriot interceptor missiles that Zelenskyy said European countries had paid for and were awaiting US approval.
- Who was responsible for the Starshield slowdown, as reports give conflicting accounts.
- Whether the US and Russia will move forward with the diesel-supply arrangement that Trump agreed with Russia, which Ukraine opposed.
How each side told it
Left
MSNBC led with Russia's release of an imprisoned American and Witkoff's announcement of it, and its lede tied the deal to Trump actions that it said benefit Moscow. Politico Europe's headline framed the story as a US offer of face-to-face talks between Zelenskyy, Putin and Trump, though its available text was largely navigation and cut off.
Center
Al Jazeera, France 24 and Axios led with the Witkoff-Putin talks as part of Washington's push to end the war, with France 24 describing the trip as an effort to draw a line under the feud between Zelenskyy and Trump and Axios framing the White House's hope that Putin would compromise after Trump lifted diesel sanctions. All three included Putin's offers on Iran, fertiliser and a China meeting alongside the Hubbard release.
Right
The New York Post led with Zelenskyy touting 'positive signals from American side' after the Oslo summit and a call with Rubio, and it quoted US officials on 'meaningful progress' and the proposal's framework, placing the Starshield dispute and finger-pointing in Washington later in the article.
Sources
- 1Al JazeeraCenterTrump envoy Witkoff meets Russia’s Putin for Ukraine war talks
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- 3Politico EuropeLeftUS to offer Putin face-to-face talks with Zelenskyy and Trump
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Written by AI from the reports listed below and nothing else. Loaded words are taken out, every claim is attributed to whoever made it, and each fact links to the outlets that report it. If something looks wrong, check the sources and tell us.