The key facts
- On October 21, Witkoff will present in St. Petersburg settlement proposals prepared after talks in Miami and Oslo
- Stubb announced 'some elements of peace' and 'real progress' on two levels
- The Kremlin has not officially confirmed the date and location of the Putin–Witkoff meeting
Meeting in St. Petersburg
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff will present proposals on October 21 in St. Petersburg for settling the Ukrainian conflict, prepared following consultations between Washington, Kyiv and European partners. Earlier, Life.ru reported that the Kremlin intends to arrange a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Witkoff to discuss the results of US talks with Kyiv and Europe. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov called such contacts important and timely, emphasizing that they allow the exchange of signals between Moscow and Washington to continue. However, the exact location and date of the meeting have not yet been confirmed by the Kremlin.
Stubb's Statement
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said at a press conference after talks in Oslo that the parties had managed to find some 'elements of peace.' 'I think that today we achieved real progress on two levels. The first is the big picture. The second is the short-term perspective. In the big picture, we found some elements of peace that will be presented in St. Petersburg tomorrow,' the Finnish leader said. According to him, the proposals are based on the results of talks between representatives of the US, Ukraine and European countries held earlier in Miami, and the discussion continued on October 20 in the Norwegian capital. Stubb believes that at the working level the parties managed to move noticeably forward despite public disagreements.
Background of the Talks
The current round was preceded by consultations between the US, Ukraine and European representatives in Miami on October 9, which ended early. According to the Financial Times, the Ukrainian delegation refused to attend the second day of meetings after Donald Trump's announcement about fuel arrangements with Moscow. Subsequently, Witkoff and Kushner postponed their trip to Russia, deciding first to find out whether Kyiv and the European countries could agree on a common position. The talks in Oslo became a continuation of this diplomatic work.
