Putin hosts Trump envoy for Ukraine peace talks, releases US teacher
President Vladimir Putin hosted US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on Wednesday for talks on ending the Ukraine war, while releasing a retired American school teacher as a goodwill gesture. The meeting marks Witkoff's ninth in-person session with Putin. The talks follow Witkoff's "constructive" Oslo meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, amid deteriorating US-Ukraine ties over a Russian diesel export deal and reported disruptions to intelligence sharing and Starlink satellite services. Trump has pressured Zelenskyy to negotiate, warning of "a very bad thing" if the war continues. Ukraine brought new proposals covering security guarantees, a post-war economic plan, and European security architecture. The released detainee, Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old teacher sentenced on mercenary charges he denies, flew back to the US with Witkoff.