Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed in principle to resume trilateral peace talks with the United States and Ukraine following a meeting with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff at the Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg.
The discussions, which included White House adviser Jared Kushner participating remotely, were preceded by Moscow’s release of Stephen Hubbard, a retired 74-year-old American teacher detained on allegations of acting as a mercenary in Ukraine. Witkoff, who commended Putin’s decision, delivered a revised package of proposals drafted during consultations in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European allies
.The meeting produced a preliminary framework to begin technical-level trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi next month, while Kremlin aides confirmed that discussions are underway for a potential summit in Shenzhen, China, involving Putin, Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Despite the diplomatic progress, the Kremlin downplayed prospects of an immediate breakthrough. Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the proposals brought from Oslo lacked sufficient substance, as Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine permanently renounce NATO membership and cede the Donbas region – terms Kyiv firmly rejects.
Tensions surrounding the American initiative deepened as Witkoff welcomed an agreement allowing Russian diesel shipments to the United States following adjusted sanctions, a move that prompted sharp pushback from Kyiv and European capitals.
The diplomatic overtures were shadowed by military strikes hours later, when Russian forces fired ballistic missiles into Kyiv and surrounding regions, damaging residential buildings and transport infrastructure, killing four people and injuring several others. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the assault, criticising Washington’s diplomatic posture and insisting that security guarantees and strength, rather than concessions, remain essential to ending the conflict.
