Witkoff calls Putin a humanitarian as Russia signals new talks

US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday for talks on ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting lasted more than three hours in the Oval Hall of a St Petersburg palace, and the first minutes were shown on Russian state television. The Kremlin said progress was theoretically possible but depended on Kyiv. After the talks, Russian news agencies reported that Witkoff said there was a basis for a ceasefire and that he hoped Putin would consider resuming three-way talks. Reports also said Putin agreed to trilateral discussions resuming on 10 November, though he was said to find nothing of real use in the proposals Witkoff brought from Ukraine and European allies. Russia said it was ready in principle to resume peace talks next month, but it would not accept a ceasefire now.

Before travelling to St Petersburg, Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo. US officials described the talks as constructive and said Ukraine had presented new ideas and proposals. Zelensky said Ukraine had clear ideas for peace and wanted the US to take them to Russia. He called for a possible trilateral meeting of leaders, saying only leaders could address some issues. Zelensky was visiting the Norwegian parliament while waiting for news. He also said Ukraine was again receiving advance warning of Russian missile and drone attacks after the White House had been accused of withholding crucial intelligence. He thanked American intelligence and said Ukraine wanted peace more than anyone, while Russia had started the war.

During the St Petersburg visit, Russia released American citizen Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old English teacher who was captured in 2022 and jailed for allegedly fighting for Ukraine. He had been sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony in 2024. It was Witkoff's ninth visit to Russia. Witkoff thanked Putin and called him a humanitarian. The remark drew criticism. Trump later defended Witkoff, saying he would not say anything one way or the other but that the purpose was to free a man who thought he would be in prison for life. JD Vance also backed Witkoff, saying he is a diplomat. Critics said calling Putin a humanitarian was worrying and showed how far Washington was prepared to go to ingratiate itself with Moscow.

Trump has in recent days increased pressure on Zelensky, saying Ukraine had to want to settle the war and that Zelensky had to make a deal. He suggested Ukraine should get a new leader, claimed Russia wanted to get it done, and said the US had given hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine and got nothing back. He also paused some sanctions on Russia, agreed to buy Russian diesel and lifted sanctions on diesel imports. Critics said this eased pressure on Putin and gave away US leverage before any ceasefire. The US had also been accused of withholding intelligence and of slowing Starlink and Starshield support for Ukraine. A Wall Street Journal report blamed Elon Musk for the Starlink slowdown. US officials denied government involvement. Ukraine and European allies expressed anger.

Russia continued attacking Ukraine. Kyiv came under ballistic missile attack on the evening of the talks, and relatives of two people killed in a drone attack the previous night were mentioned. Russia showed no sign of ending the war. The Kremlin said it may resume talks with the US and Ukraine next month but would not accept a ceasefire now. Analysts said Putin was stalling and that Ukraine was unlikely to surrender or give up the Donbas, which Russia has not captured on the battlefield. Opinion polls were said to show Zelensky's popularity had risen after insults from the White House.

European capitals were anxious about the US tilt towards Moscow, Russian sabotage and cyber incidents, and the risk to NATO cohesion. In Moscow, the mood was that relations with Washington were improving and that Russia did not want to be left behind in a changing world order. The net result was a meeting that produced a prisoner release and the prospect of more talks, but no ceasefire and no clear path to ending the war.