On 21 October, US Presidential Special Representative Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg and stated that he had brought documents setting out approaches to resolving the Russian-Ukrainian war. Following consultations in Oslo, he described the diplomatic efforts as productive and expressed hope for negotiations between Ukraine, the US and Russia; however, no agreement on a ceasefire was publicly announced.
Briefly about the main points
- Vitkoff met with Putin at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St Petersburg.
- The US Special Representative stated that he had brought documents relating to the resolution of the war.
- The contents of the documents that Witkoff claimed to have brought to Putin have not been made public.
- Trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia remain a proposed, rather than an agreed, format.
- Russia released the American Stephen Hubbard separately from the peace talks.
The documents were brought over, but no details were made public
The talks took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St Petersburg. According to Reuters, an aide to the Russian president was also due to attend the meeting Yuriy Ushakov and the Special Representative Kirill Dmitriev.
According to *Kommersant*, during the public part of the meeting Vitkoff said that he had brought documents setting out approaches to a settlement of the Ukrainian issue. Their full content has not been disclosed, so it is not known exactly what proposals Russia has received for consideration.
Consultations in Oslo and a proposal for a new format
The day before, on 20 October, Witkoff held talks with the President of Ukraine in Oslo Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gar Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Jared Kushner joined remotely; national security advisers from the UK, Germany, Italy, the EU and NATO took part in the working dinner.
An American official reported significant progress in coordinating the approach to dialogue with Russia. The Norwegian government cited Ukraine’s security, post-war economic reconstruction and territorial issues as key topics.
Vitkoff expressed the hope that Russia will consider the possibility of talks involving Ukraine, the US and the Russian Federation, where technical aspects of the settlement could be discussed. However, there is no confirmation that Moscow has agreed to this format.
Hubbard’s release was a separate outcome of the contact
During the meetings Putin informed Witkoff of the release of a US citizen Stephen Hubbard. According to Reuters and the Associated Press, Hubbard was at Pulkovo Airport, waiting to fly to the United States.
In 2024, a Russian court sentenced Hubbard to six years and 10 months’ imprisonment on charges of mercenary activity. Reuters reported that he had denied the charges.
Hubbard’s release is a separate outcome of the talks between Washington and Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on the same day that Russia’s position on a separate energy ceasefire remained unchanged: Moscow, he said, is insisting on a peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire.
