The key facts
- Steve Witkoff met with Putin in St. Petersburg; expert Kobelyuk saw in his behavior a signal of a friendly disposition toward the Russian team
- Putin thanked Trump for his efforts to settle the Ukrainian conflict; Witkoff brought proposals after consultations with Kyiv and the Europeans in Norway
- Witkoff thanked Putin for the release of American Stephen Hubbard, who, according to Putin, was already at Pulkovo Airport
Meeting in St. Petersburg and expert assessment
US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg for a meeting with Vladimir Putin. Negotiation and business protocol expert Alexey Kobelyuk, in a conversation with Life.ru, suggested that the American representative perceives the Russian leader's entourage as allies in the negotiation process. In the specialist's view, this is indicated by Witkoff's behavior in the first minutes of the meeting: after greeting Putin, he separately thanked the interpreter, addressing him directly. 'Witkoff came not only to the leader, he came to the team. As part of Trump's team, he came to Putin's team and perceives them as his allies,' Kobelyuk said. The expert interprets this gesture as a desire to establish contact with all participants in the negotiations, given that after the meeting Putin will discuss the proposals with his advisers.
Putin's greeting and the nature of the talks
Kobelyuk drew attention to Putin's welcoming speech, in which he thanked Donald Trump for his efforts to settle the Ukrainian conflict. In the expert's assessment, the Russian leader was in fact addressing the head of the White House directly through Witkoff. 'Putin says this, clearly aware that no final agreements will be reached today. This is just another stage of the negotiations,' the specialist noted. He suggested that Witkoff brought proposals prepared after consultations with Kyiv and European countries, and that the Russian side will study them and formulate its position. 'These negotiations will not be about economics or cooperation, but about how the situation will develop further, both on the real battlefield and on diplomatic battlefields,' Kobelyuk explained.
Choice of venue and protocol details
In the expert's assessment, St. Petersburg proved convenient from a logistics standpoint, and the Constantine Palace made it possible to provide the necessary level of reception. 'The palace itself is conducive to projecting the grandeur of Russia. It is a very solemn, very large and beautiful building,' Kobelyuk believes. At the same time, he urged not to attach excessive importance to the arrangement of furniture, flags and other decorative elements: most such details are agreed in advance by the protocol services of both countries. More important, in his view, is to observe the behavior of the participants — how relaxed or constrained Witkoff feels and in what mood the Russian president receives him.
Content of the opening of the talks
The negotiations began with a discussion of the Ukrainian settlement. Putin was interested in the results of the US consultations with representatives of Kyiv and European countries held the day before in Norway. The Russian leader expressed gratitude to Trump for his attention to finding ways to end the conflict and recalled that during their last conversation the American president had particularly emphasized the need to settle the situation in Ukraine. Witkoff, in turn, thanked Putin for the release of American Stephen Hubbard, who had been serving a sentence in Russia. Putin said that Hubbard was already at Pulkovo Airport.
Further expectations
Kobelyuk did not rule out that the current round could serve as preparation for new meetings at a higher level. Real results, in his view, should be judged by official statements and the parties' subsequent actions. 'Let's hear the official position and observe what the mood will be after the talks. There may be a dinner, there may be a lunch, or he may fly out right away — that is what we will rely on. We will also look at how Witkoff behaves after this meeting,' the expert concluded.
