US envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Saint Petersburg for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following what Washington described as a "positive" meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo. The visit is part of a broader diplomatic push to ease tensions between US President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy over Russia's war on Ukraine.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is expected to join Wednesday's meeting between Witkoff and Putin virtually, a US official told AFP. The talks come as Moscow intensifies its strikes on Ukrainian cities ahead of winter, and as Kyiv presses for more Western military support.
Intelligence sharing resumes
After his meeting with Witkoff in the Norwegian capital, Zelenskyy thanked Washington for resuming intelligence sharing on Russian strikes. "We are thankful that intelligence works," he told reporters in Oslo, describing early warnings as "very, very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians" when ballistic missiles are about to strike.
The resumption marks a shift after days of friction between Kyiv and Washington. Relations between Zelenskyy and Trump have been volatile since the US president began his second term in January last year, but they soured further in recent weeks after Trump struck a diesel deal with Putin and criticised the impact of Ukrainian strikes on Russia's energy sector on global fuel prices.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump renewed his calls for Zelenskyy to "make a deal" with Russia, echoing his earlier pressure on Kyiv to negotiate. The US president has repeatedly signalled his desire to end the war quickly, even if it means concessions from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has accused Washington of delaying deliveries of interceptor missiles already paid for by European countries, with some shipments reportedly awaiting US approval. The Ukrainian president also insisted that Kyiv must be involved in any negotiations concerning its future, a stance that has been echoed by European leaders.
The diplomatic manoeuvring comes as the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has accused the US of pressing Ukraine to surrender on Putin's terms. In a recent statement, Kallas warned that any peace deal must not reward Russian aggression, and she has also highlighted the threat Russian attacks in the Black Sea pose to global food security.
European capitals are watching the Witkoff-Putin meeting closely, given the continent's direct stakes in the conflict's outcome. The EU's Arctic strategy has also shifted focus to security amid increased Russian and Chinese activity, underscoring the broader geopolitical tensions.
For now, the immediate focus remains on whether Witkoff can secure any concrete commitments from Putin. The US envoy's presence in St Petersburg signals that Washington is willing to engage directly with Moscow, even as it tries to rebuild trust with Kyiv.
Zelenskyy, for his part, has made clear that Ukraine will not accept a deal negotiated without its participation. "We must be at the table," he said in Oslo, a message he has repeated in recent weeks as diplomatic efforts intensify.
