US envoy Steve Witkoff holds peace talks with Russian leadership following Oslo summit

US special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg on Wednesday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following high-level discussions in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as well as leaders from Norway and Finland. The diplomatic push aims to address the deteriorating relationship between Washington and Kyiv, which had soured over recent US policy shifts toward Moscow, including sanction waivers and restrictions on military intelligence and satellite support for Ukraine.

During the Oslo summit, officials reportedly made progress on a comprehensive peace framework, addressing security guarantees and post-war economic planning. Following the discussions, Ukraine reported that the U.S. has resumed sharing early warnings of Russian missile launches, while Zelenskiy continues to negotiate the restoration of support for drone systems. Witkoff, acting under the direction of President Donald Trump, has advocated for a transition to trilateral and multilateral negotiations to end the war.

In St. Petersburg, Putin expressed interest in restoring US-Russia economic cooperation and exploring multilateral discussions involving China. As a tangible result of the ongoing diplomatic engagement, Witkoff announced that Russia has agreed to release 74-year-old American prisoner Stephen Hubbard, who had been detained for over four years. Future efforts are expected to focus on formalizing a pathway toward broader peace agreements.