Witkoff and Putin Exchange Thanks and Ukraine Documents in St. Petersburg Talks

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, October 21, delivering documents with options for settling the war in Ukraine and expressing hope for resuming trilateral talks between Moscow, Washington, and Kyiv. The meeting took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace following Witkoff's consultations in Oslo with Ukrainian and European representatives. Witkoff called the Oslo talks productive, noting progress on security guarantees, post-war reconstruction, territorial issues, and sanctions. Putin thanked President Trump for his attention to the conflict. Putin announced the release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard, a 73-year-old convicted in Russia on mercenary charges, whom Witkoff thanked him for. The two also discussed economic cooperation, with Putin expressing interest in restoring ties and Witkoff thanking him for a diesel fuel agreement that reportedly lowered global prices by 5-6 percent.