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Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, right, greets U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff at the international airport outside St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026.
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U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin said that the talks lasted about three hours. None of the participants made any immediate comment afterward. Witkoff's visit to St. Petersburg on Wednesday follows meetings the previous day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has suggested that Russia may be open to diplomacy. Witkoff’s meetings suggest a push for U.S.-led peace efforts. But a breakthrough doesn't appear imminent because Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on settlement terms. U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring Zelenskyy to make a deal. Tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy have recently resurfaced.
Russia has released a American who was jailed for over four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff announced the release Wednesday during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Stephen Hubbard, from Michigan, was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison. Prosecutors said he fought with the Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The U.S. government under the Biden administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained. The release comes as President Donald Trump advances policies that aid Putin, including waiving sanctions on Russia.
