The key facts
- Witkoff and Kushner plan to meet with Putin on October 21 in St. Petersburg — NYT, confirmed by the Norwegian Prime Minister
- One of the goals is the release of American Stephen Hubbard, sentenced to 6 years and 10 months
- On October 20, Trump's envoys met with Zelensky in Oslo
Meeting in St. Petersburg
US President Donald Trump's negotiators — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — plan to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 21 in St. Petersburg. This is reported by The New York Times. The information was confirmed by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who on October 20 held a meeting with Trump's envoys and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The question of Hubbard's release
According to NYT, Witkoff and Kushner want to demonstrate the effectiveness of negotiations with Putin by securing the release of an American citizen who has long been held in custody in Russia. This may refer to Stephen Hubbard, sentenced to 6 years and 10 months of imprisonment for participating in hostilities on the side of the Ukrainian army. According to NYT, the US State Department considers Hubbard the only American unlawfully detained in the Russian Federation. The Financial Times also reported that Witkoff would travel to Russia immediately after the talks in Oslo to secure Hubbard's release.
Meeting in Oslo
On October 20, Trump's negotiators met with Zelensky in Oslo. Details of the meeting were not disclosed. Witkoff attended in person, while Kushner participated remotely due to the flu. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb also joined the meeting.
The case of Stephen Hubbard
72-year-old Stephen Hubbard was sentenced by a Russian court in October 2024 to 6 years and 10 months in a penal colony on charges of mercenarism. According to the Russian investigation, Hubbard, who had lived in Izyum, Kharkiv region, since 2014, joined the local territorial defense in February 2022, and in April 2022 was captured by Russian troops, after which he was brought to trial. In April 2025, the US State Department had already called on Russia to release Hubbard.
