Ball in Putin’s Court as Witkoff Lands in Russia

Kyiv (GNP): US special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. His trip follows a claim by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that American intelligence sharing about deadly Russian strikes “works now”.

That claim followed an earlier row. Kyiv had accused Washington of recently withholding such intelligence, which it said cost Ukrainian lives. Washington rejected the accusation as “scandalous”.

Zelensky spoke after meeting Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday. A US official later described those talks as “very productive and constructive”. The official also spoke of “strong alignment at the working level” among the US, Ukraine and Europe on the next steps.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who also took part in the Oslo talks, said “genuine progress” had been made on proposals for peace. He gave no details and warned that patience would be needed. Witkoff did not attend the joint press conference, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, another key envoy, joined the meeting by video link.

Zelensky and his European allies now say the next move belongs to Moscow. Russia is expected to respond to the proposals agreed in Oslo when Witkoff meets Putin on Wednesday to discuss ways to end the war. Witkoff was met on the runway by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev when he arrived in St Petersburg that morning.

Putin has not yet commented publicly on these developments. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, however, has said the Kremlin will listen to what Witkoff offers, while ruling out “any political concessions”.

The diplomacy comes as relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured in recent weeks. President Donald Trump has said it is time for Ukraine to get a new president, and most recently for somebody else to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf.

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Ahead of next month’s US midterm elections, Trump has also sought to blame Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries for rising fuel prices. After Zelensky’s news conference in Oslo, he again told reporters at the White House that he wanted Kyiv to “make a deal”. He said Russia would like to “get it done”.

The talks take place against the backdrop of a war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Moscow currently controls about 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory, and Ukrainian officials say Russian drone strikes have continued this week.

Lavrov said the Kremlin would listen to Witkoff while ruling out political concessions.