Steve Witkoff brought new Ukraine peace proposals as Moscow and Washington explore restoring bilateral ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held three-hour talks with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg to discuss ending the Ukraine conflict and restoring US-Russia relations. Witkoff’s trip comes after Moscow and Washington reached a diesel deal and amid an escalating feud between Trump and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.

The talks began at Constantine Palace – around 20 km southwest of St. Petersburg – on Wednesday morning, with Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov and Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev also attending.

Witkoff had traveled to St. Petersburg from Oslo, where on Tuesday he met Zelensky and the leaders of Norway and Finland, alongside European and NATO officials. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who had joined the Oslo talks remotely, also participated in the St.…