Trump envoy Witkoff travels to Russia after Ukraine floats new peace ideas in Oslo

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday, carrying fresh proposals aimed at ending the war in Ukraine after Kyiv presented new ideas for a peace plan during talks in Oslo.

The meeting, held at the Konstantin Palace, lasted roughly three hours, according to the Kremlin. Witkoff presented Putin with new proposals for ending the conflict, which he said reflected ideas raised during recent discussions involving Ukrainian officials in the Norwegian capital.

During the meeting, Witkoff praised Putin in personal terms, drawing a comparison to President Donald Trump. "You talk so often about how my president, President Trump, is a humanitarian," Witkoff told Putin. "You too are a humanitarian, sir, and for that I pay you my respect, express my appreciation and thank you once again."

Witkoff also told Putin he hoped the talks could pave the way toward renewed three-way negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States. "I hope that we can speak constructively today about a possible resumption of trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the United States," he said. "Even if we don't reach an agreement today, if we discuss and explore what the next step might look like, that would be important. The world is waiting for it."

As a gesture described by officials as a sign of goodwill, Russia released detained American citizen Stephen Hubbard at the start of the discussions. No further details on the circumstances of his release were provided by officials present at the meeting.

Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special envoy for investment, also took part in the talks. Both sides pointed to the potential for expanded economic cooperation between Russia and the United States once the war ends, though no specific agreements were announced.

Witkoff had indicated before the meeting that Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, would join the discussions by phone at a later stage. It was not immediately confirmed whether Kushner participated as planned or what, if anything, he contributed to the talks.

The meeting came directly after discussions in Oslo in which Ukrainian representatives introduced what officials described as new ideas for a broader peace framework. Details of the Ukrainian proposals were not fully disclosed, but they are understood to have formed part of the basis for the package Witkoff brought to St. Petersburg.

The visit marks the latest in a series of efforts by the Trump administration to broker an end to the war, which has dragged on for more than three years. Washington has repeatedly signaled interest in reviving direct, three-sided talks between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington, though previous rounds of diplomacy have yet to produce a lasting ceasefire.

Neither the Kremlin nor U.S. officials released the full text of the proposals discussed in St. Petersburg. It remains unclear how Ukrainian officials will respond to the ideas Witkoff carried to Russia, or whether Kyiv was consulted on the specific terms presented to Putin.

The talks took place against a backdrop of continued fighting along multiple fronts in Ukraine, with both Moscow and Kyiv continuing to exchange long-range strikes in recent weeks. Economic cooperation mentioned by Russian and American officials during the meeting was framed as contingent on an eventual resolution of the conflict, rather than an immediate step.

No date was announced for a possible follow-up meeting or for when the proposals might be formally presented to Ukrainian officials. Washington has not said whether Witkoff plans further stops in the region following his visit to St. Petersburg.