Witkoff Arrives in St. Petersburg for Putin Talks

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg to present Vladimir Putin with an updated proposal aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, after what Secretary of State Marco Rubio called positive talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo. The Oslo discussions, attended by European and NATO representatives, addressed a possible peace framework covering Ukraine’s security guarantees, postwar recovery and European security, with U.S. officials saying the sides made progress toward a coordinated approach. Jared Kushner, who joined the Oslo talks remotely, is expected to participate remotely in the meeting with Putin. Washington hopes the proposal will open direct trilateral or broader negotiations, though Moscow has not agreed to Zelenskyy’s proposed meeting with Putin and Donald Trump. The effort comes amid tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy over U.S. military support, intelligence sharing and pressure on Kyiv to reach a deal; Zelenskyy said U.S. early warnings of Russian attacks had resumed.