The key facts
- Jared Kushner did not travel to St. Petersburg but may join the talks online — TASS source
- Putin's meeting with Witkoff is scheduled for the first half of the day on October 21 at the Constantine Palace
- Witkoff arrived from Oslo, where he discussed the Ukrainian settlement with Zelensky and the Europeans
Kushner may participate remotely
The son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, did not travel to St. Petersburg for talks with Vladimir Putin, but may take part in the meeting remotely. The possibility of connecting him via video link remains open, a TASS source said. 'Due to personal valid circumstances, Kushner did not come to St. Petersburg, but the option of joining online is definitely on the table,' the agency's interlocutor explained. Earlier, aide to the Russian president Yuri Ushakov said the American negotiator had fallen ill and decided to refrain from the trip.
Meeting at the Constantine Palace
Putin's meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled for the first half of the day on October 21 at the Constantine Palace. Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, is also participating on the Russian side. Witkoff has already arrived in St. Petersburg from Oslo, where the day before he discussed the Ukrainian settlement with Vladimir Zelensky and European representatives. According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the special envoy intends to brief Moscow on the results of the consultations. Rubio described the talks in Norway as constructive but without unexpected results.
Context of previous contacts
According to Politico, Witkoff will propose to Putin a meeting with Trump and Zelensky. On September 5, Witkoff and Kushner already met with Putin in the Kremlin; the conversation lasted more than three hours, and the Russian side noted the substantive nature of the contacts, which touched on issues of the Ukrainian settlement and bilateral relations.
Postponement of the consultation round
A new round of diplomatic consultations was originally planned earlier, but on October 9 the talks between the American and Ukrainian delegations in Miami ended ahead of schedule. According to the Financial Times, Kyiv refused to continue the meeting after Trump announced fuel agreements with Moscow. Subsequently, the American mediators postponed the trip to Russia, deciding first to coordinate further proposals with the Ukrainian and European sides.
