US envoy Witkoff meets Putin in St. Petersburg to discuss Ukraine war

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss ending Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo a day earlier. The three-hour talks, which included Russian officials and a video link from Jared Kushner, focused on resuming trilateral U.S.-Russia-Ukraine negotiations. Witkoff cited "some degree of momentum," while Russia released a retired American teacher as a goodwill gesture. No immediate breakthrough was announced. The war continues with daily strikes, as Russia killed five people in Ukraine overnight and Kyiv launched over 1,000 drones at Russia on Sunday. Trump pressed Zelenskyy to make a deal, while Zelenskyy said freezing the conflict is the "minimum" needed to end the war.