US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to restart trilateral peace talks involving the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, as part of Washington’s intensified efforts to end the ongoing conflict. During a meeting in St Petersburg, Witkoff presented fresh proposals aimed at resolving the war and explored next steps towards a negotiated settlement. This marked his ninth in-person discussion with Putin.
Putin expressed a willingness to collaborate with US President Donald Trump on various international matters, including Iran’s nuclear program. He also suggested a potential future meeting with Trump in China, possibly including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
These discussions followed Witkoff’s earlier meeting in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, alongside Finnish and Norwegian leaders and European and NATO representatives. The talks in Oslo focused on developing a coordinated strategy for negotiations with Russia and identifying key components for a comprehensive peace agreement.
Among the critical issues discussed were security guarantees for Ukraine, postwar economic recovery, and the future of European security arrangements. Zelenskyy has shown hope for a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin to address significant barriers to ending the war, although the Kremlin has stated that any direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would necessitate extensive preparation to ensure meaningful progress.
The latest diplomatic initiatives underscore renewed efforts by the United States to bring all parties back to the negotiation table. Despite these efforts, significant challenges remain in reaching a consensus acceptable to all sides involved.