Witkoff meets Putin in St. Petersburg on war in Ukraine On Wednesday, October 21, Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to St. Petersburg to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the fate of the war in Ukraine. The talks followed Tuesday's talks with Witkoff in Oslo, Norway's capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives from NATO and the European Union also participated in these talks. Security guarantees for Ukraine, territorial issues, sanctions and European security after the end of the war were among the main axes of the talks in Oslo. The Kremlin announced that the Russian President's talks with Steve Witkoff ended after about three hours. The Russian state news agency Tass reported that Putin announced in his meeting with Vitkaf that Moscow is ready to help solve the Iranian crisis. According to this report, Putin said: "If possible, I would very much like to know your assessment of the situation in the Middle East and Iran." If we can do even a little bit to help solve this crisis, we will gladly do it." The Russian president emphasized that his country has "special and trust-based relations with Iran and its partners" that "have been formed over decades." At the same time, Putin ordered the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American teacher, from a Russian prison. Hubbard was accused of being a "mercenary for Ukraine" and spent more than four years in a Russian prison. The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, assessed the Oslo meeting as "positive" and said that "nothing unexpected or surprising" happened during the meeting. According to Rubio, Vitkoff will now share these ideas "with the Russian side." He added: "Then we'll see if we can move forward or not." The Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gare Storr, also stated that the necessary reason was given to continue efforts to reach a solution to end the war. Stora also expressed hope that Witkoff could pave the way for tripartite negotiations between the United States, Russia and Ukraine in Moscow. So far, the Kremlin has rejected the proposal for direct negotiations with Ukraine or set preconditions for it that are not acceptable to Ukraine.

Witkoff meets Putin in St. Petersburg on war in Ukraine On Wednesday, October 21, Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to St. Petersburg to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the fate of the war in Ukraine. The talks followed Tuesday's talks with Witkoff in Oslo, Norway's capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives from NATO and the European Union also participated in these talks. Security guarantees for Ukraine, territorial issues, sanctions and European security after the end of the war were among the main axes of the talks in Oslo. The Kremlin announced that the Russian President's talks with Steve Witkoff ended after about three hours. The Russian state news agency Tass reported that Putin announced in his meeting with Vitkaf that Moscow is ready to help solve the Iranian crisis. According to this report, Putin said: "If possible, I would very much like to know your assessment of the situation in the Middle East and Iran." If we can do even a little bit to help solve this crisis, we will gladly do it." The Russian president emphasized that his country has "special and trust-based relations with Iran and its partners" that "have been formed over decades." At the same time, Putin ordered the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American teacher, from a Russian prison. Hubbard was accused of being a "mercenary for Ukraine" and spent more than four years in a Russian prison. The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, assessed the Oslo meeting as "positive" and said that "nothing unexpected or surprising" happened during the meeting. According to Rubio, Vitkoff will now share these ideas "with the Russian side." He added: "Then we'll see if we can move forward or not." The Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gare Storr, also stated that the necessary reason was given to continue efforts to reach a solution to end the war. Stora also expressed hope that Witkoff could pave the way for tripartite negotiations between the United States, Russia and Ukraine in Moscow. So far, the Kremlin has rejected the proposal for direct negotiations with Ukraine or set preconditions for it that are not acceptable to Ukraine.