The key facts
- Putin declared readiness to discuss the restoration of Russian-American relations, including economic cooperation.
- Witkoff brought documents with proposals on Ukraine to St. Petersburg after consultations with Kyiv and European partners in Oslo.
- Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov recalled that economic topics had already been discussed at the previous meeting.
Putin's statement at the meeting in St. Petersburg
Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg, declared Moscow's interest in restoring bilateral relations with the United States. According to him, 'on both sides it would be interesting to discuss issues related to our plans to restore bilateral relations, Russian-American contacts, including in the sphere of economic cooperation.' Thus, the Russian leader signaled readiness to discuss with Washington not only the international agenda but also the prospects for resuming economic interaction.
Topic of the talks and preparation for the visit
The main topic of the talks between Putin and Witkoff was the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov recalled that at the previous meeting the sides also discussed prospects for economic cooperation. Before his visit to Russia, Witkoff held consultations with Kyiv and European partners in Oslo. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the special envoy was to present the results of these talks to the Russian leadership.
Witkoff's earlier assessments
Earlier, Witkoff stated that Russia and the US have prospects for developing economic relations after the end of the conflict in Ukraine, and also noted that there are prerequisites for a ceasefire. According to Life.ru, Witkoff brought documents with proposals on Ukraine to St. Petersburg.
