US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Zelensky in Oslo and is now in St Petersburg to present Vladimir Putin with updated proposals to end the Ukraine war. Jared Kushner joins remotely; the Kremlin has ruled out political concessions.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in St Petersburg on Wednesday to present President Vladimir Putin with an updated set of proposals aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine, a day after what Washington described as constructive talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo.
Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who is taking part in the meeting, met Witkoff at the airport, according to two sources cited by Reuters. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a senior adviser, is participating virtually.
Oslo talks described as 'positive'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Mumbai, said the Oslo session produced no surprises. "It was positive, nothing unexpected, nothing surprising, and he will now, armed with those ideas, be able to go to St Petersburg and share them with the Russian side — and let's see if we can make some progress," Rubio said.
A US official described the Oslo meeting as "very productive and constructive", citing a "strong alignment at the working level" among the United States, Ukraine and Europe on next steps. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who took part, said "genuine progress" was made but gave no details and cautioned that patience would be required. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stressed that Europe "needs to be at the table" in any settlement talks.
The diplomatic push follows a period of strain between Washington and Kyiv. Ukraine had accused the US of withholding intelligence needed to warn of Russian missile and drone attacks — a claim Washington called scandalous. On Tuesday, Zelensky said intelligence sharing "works now" and that early-warning support had been restored. He said he also expects results within 48 hours on Patriot interceptor deliveries and on Starlink satellite access, after Ukraine's military reported speed restrictions on the platform it uses for drone operations.
Kremlin sets limits
Putin has not publicly commented on the latest proposals. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would listen to what Witkoff brings but ruled out "any political concessions". The Kremlin said earlier this week it hoped Witkoff would brief Putin on the thinking of Ukrainian and European leaders.
The talks build on a US-brokered framework that has been revised repeatedly since an initial 28-point plan was criticised by Kyiv and European allies as too favourable to Moscow. The current proposal runs to 19 points.
The political backdrop is contentious. Trump has said publicly that it is time for Kyiv to "make a deal" and, in recent weeks, that Ukraine should hold a presidential election and that someone else should negotiate on its behalf. Vice-President JD Vance said Kyiv is "a partner in some ways" but that Washington and Kyiv have divergent interests — including on Ukrainian strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, which Trump has linked to rising fuel prices ahead of next month's US midterm elections.
Fighting continues
Russian attacks have not paused for the diplomacy. Ukrainian officials said at least 10 people were killed on Tuesday, including four in Kyiv and the surrounding region, four in the eastern Donetsk region and two in Dnipro. Overnight strikes killed two more people near Kharkiv. In Kyiv, a Russian strike hit a high-rise apartment building and transport infrastructure, causing fires, according to Mayor Vitalii Klitschko, and a university in Kremenchuk was hit, injuring two.
Moscow controls roughly 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, more than four years after its full-scale invasion. Whether the St Petersburg meeting produces anything more than an exchange of positions remains unclear; no joint statement has been announced, and Ukrainian and European officials say the response now rests with the Kremlin.