US Envoy Witkoff Heads to Russia for Putin Talks After 'Positive' Ukraine Discussions with Zelenskyy

United States Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in St Petersburg, Russia, for discussions with Russian leaders concerning the Ukraine war. This follows what were described as “positive” talks Witkoff held with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway. Witkoff is scheduled to meet with President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday. The United States is actively pursuing an end to the conflict, which commenced over four and a half years ago with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Recent weeks have seen US President Donald Trump express growing frustration with President Zelenskyy, even suggesting that negotiations should be handled by another party. These remarks have marked a significant downturn in their relationship, while President Zelenskyy has accused the US of halting vital intelligence sharing. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the discussions between Witkoff and Zelenskyy as “positive” and indicated that the US envoy would convey the outcomes to President Putin. Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, participated in the talks with President Zelenskyy virtually due to illness and is also expected to join the meeting with President Putin remotely.

“He’ll 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 stated. The prime ministers of Norway and Finland were also in attendance at the Oslo talks, alongside representatives from the European Union and NATO.

Following the discussions on Tuesday, President Zelenskyy announced that “very, very important” intelligence from the US had been reinstated. President Zelenskyy had previously alleged that Washington had impeded the internet service, Starshield, which is critical for Ukraine's military operations. Starshield, a military-grade service, is developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX and is the equivalent of Starlink.

Secretary Rubio refuted President Zelenskyy’s claims, asserting that President Trump has no involvement in the decisions made by Starlink and Starshield. Elon Musk, however, has disputed this, suggesting that such decisions are exclusively within the purview of the US military and the president. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and individuals familiar with the matter, that Musk had ordered a slowdown of the service.

Amidst these intensifying diplomatic efforts, Russia and Ukraine continue to engage in long-range attacks. On Wednesday, Governor Yegor Kovalchuk reported on Telegram that at least one person was killed and two were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s western Bryansk region. Separately, the Ukrainian Emergency Service confirmed that two individuals died in a Russian strike on a residential high-rise building in Kyiv's Sviatoshinsky district.