US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to restart trilateral peace talks involving the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, as part of efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This appeal was made during Witkoff’s meeting with Putin in St Petersburg, marking his ninth face-to-face discussion with the Russian leader.
The meeting centered on new proposals to end the war and potential steps towards a negotiated settlement. Putin indicated a willingness to collaborate with US President Donald Trump on various international issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, and suggested a potential future meeting with Trump in China, possibly involving Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Previously, Witkoff had met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo, as well as leaders from Finland and Norway, alongside European and NATO representatives. These discussions aimed to coordinate a strategy for negotiations with Russia and identify possible components of a comprehensive peace agreement. Key topics reportedly included security guarantees for Ukraine, its postwar economic recovery, and the future of European security arrangements.
President Zelenskyy expressed optimism for a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin to tackle major obstacles in ending the war. However, the Kremlin has maintained that a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would require extensive preparation to ensure it yields meaningful progress.
This series of diplomatic efforts underscores Washington’s renewed attempts to bring the involved parties back to the negotiating table, despite the significant challenges in reaching an agreement that satisfies all sides.