The key facts
- The meeting between Putin and Witkoff began around midday on October 21 at the Constantine Palace and lasted more than an hour
- Witkoff said the consultations in Oslo made it possible to outline steps toward ending hostilities
- Economic cooperation between Russia and the US and a possible meeting between Putin and Trump in China were also discussed
Talks at the Constantine Palace
Russian President Vladimir Putin met in St. Petersburg with the American leader's special envoy Steve Witkoff. The meeting began around midday on October 21 at the Constantine Palace and, according to Life.ru, had already lasted more than an hour. On the Russian side, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov and the head of state's special representative for investment and economic cooperation, RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev, are taking part in the discussions.
The topic of the talks — the Ukrainian conflict
The main topic was the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. Putin asked about the results of the meeting held the previous day between American representatives and Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo. Witkoff said the consultations made it possible to outline certain steps toward ending hostilities. According to Life.ru, Witkoff brought documents with settlement proposals to St. Petersburg. Finnish President Alexander Stubb previously stated that, following the talks in Oslo, representatives of the US, Ukraine and Europe had found certain 'elements of peace,' noting progress at the technical level.
Economy and a possible meeting with Trump
The parties also touched on prospects for restoring economic cooperation between Russia and the US. In addition, Putin intends to discuss with the American representative the possibility of a personal meeting with Donald Trump in China.
Organization of the meeting
Even before the talks began, Yuri Ushakov said the meeting with the American representative had been arranged several days in advance. Jared Kushner, who also took part in Washington's diplomatic contacts, was unable to fly to St. Petersburg due to illness; he participated remotely in the talks in Oslo.
