ST PETERSBURG, 21 October, 2026 (Ghufran): US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider resuming US-mediated trilateral peace talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States, as Washington renewed efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. The meeting, held at a grand imperial palace in St Petersburg, marked the ninth in-person encounter between Witkoff and Putin and began with a goodwill gesture from Moscow — the release of Stephen Hubbard, a retired American schoolteacher held in Russia. During the discussions, Putin also offered to assist US President Donald Trump in addressing concerns over Iran, highlighting Russia’s decades-long relationship with Tehran and its willingness to use those ties to address US concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme.
Putin further suggested that Russia could supply large quantities of fertiliser to the United States to support American farmers. He also expressed interest in discussing a possible meeting with Trump in China next month, which the Kremlin has suggested could include Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting comes amid growing concerns in Kyiv and among Ukraine’s allies that Washington is reducing its support for Ukraine, including reports of restrictions on real-time intelligence sharing and disruptions to Ukraine’s military communications. The latest diplomatic engagement also comes more than two years after Trump pledged during his successful election campaign to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours. Speaking at the meeting, Witkoff said he hoped to hold constructive discussions about potentially restarting trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States, adding that even identifying possible next steps would be important as the world awaited progress. The previous round of US-mediated peace talks took place in February, before the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran. Ukraine and Russia remain far apart on the terms of a potential peace agreement, while Trump has recently increased pressure on Kyiv to reach a settlement. On Tuesday, he warned that it was time for Ukraine to end the war or face “a very bad thing.”