US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has arrived in St. Petersburg for talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Russian media reported.

According to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, the meeting is scheduled to take place at the Konstantinovsky Palace during the first half of the day. He said the war in Ukraine would be the main subject of the discussion.

Ushakov also described the talks between Putin and Witkoff as a planned event that had been agreed in advance. He added that Putin’s representative, Kirill Dmitriev, would also attend the meeting.

In addition, the Kremlin official said Moscow had not held any contacts with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during previous negotiations concerning Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it would be impossible to fully settle the war in Ukraine without participation from Kyiv, arguing that someone there would need to make a responsible decision.

What happened before

On the eve of the meeting, Trump’s representatives held talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Oslo. Following those discussions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there was a need for a three-way meeting involving Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. He also stressed that only Russia could make the decision needed to end the war.

Reports indicated that the US envoy was expected to propose direct talks between Putin, Zelenskyy, and Trump. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Witkoff would present proposals for a possible peace settlement, including the idea of a trilateral meeting.

At the same time, China has described the lack of trust as the main barrier to ending the war in Ukraine. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said resolving conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, requires trust, while trust itself can only be built through communication.

Related developments

• China points to the main obstacle to ending the war in Ukraine

• US officials discuss Washington’s role in supporting Ukraine

• Russia and Ukraine face stalled progress both on the battlefield and in negotiations