US envoy Witkoff meets Putin in St. Petersburg for Ukraine peace talks

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg on Wednesday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as President Donald Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal to stop the fighting. The visit came a day after Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo. Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said the Russian president will host Witkoff at the Constantine Palace, with presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev also participating. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the talks suggest Russians are "looking for opportunities for diplomacy." Trump administration efforts to end the war have made no significant progress since early last year, with Russia and Ukraine remaining far apart on settlement terms. Trump increased pressure on Zelenskyy on Tuesday, saying "We want Zelenskyy to make a deal." Zelenskyy said Kyiv is again receiving early warnings from partners about incoming Russian missiles after recent strikes.