Witkoff hopes Ukraine joins U.S.-Russia talks in St. Petersburg

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, expressing hope for renewed trilateral talks involving Ukraine, but Moscow signaled no change to its maximalist demands. Kremlin officials said progress is "theoretically possible" but requires Ukraine's leaders to make "necessary decisions," warning the situation would worsen otherwise. Witkoff confirmed the release of jailed U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard, and Russian state media floated a potential Trump-Putin-Xi meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy endorsed trilateral talks with Trump and Putin but rejected any deal excluding Ukraine, saying "Don't talk about us without us." He also noted limited access to Starshield satellite data, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Witkoff's Oslo talks with Zelenskyy "positive."