The key facts
- On October 21, Whitkoff said at talks in Saint Petersburg that he intends to discuss next steps on settling the conflict with Putin
- On September 5, Whitkoff and Kushner spent more than three hours in talks with Putin in the Kremlin
- On October 20, the American delegation discussed conditions for ending the conflict with Zelensky and European representatives in Oslo
Whitkoff's statement at the start of the talks
US President's Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff said on October 21 at the start of talks in Saint Petersburg that he expects to discuss further steps toward settling the Ukrainian conflict with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. According to him, one of the main goals of the visit is to discuss further diplomatic actions that could bring the parties closer to a peace agreement. «I hope that today we will have the opportunity to discuss the next steps toward settling the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,» said Donald Trump's special envoy.
Context of the series of contacts
The visit continued a series of Russian-American contacts on the Ukrainian settlement. On September 5, Whitkoff, together with Jared Kushner, spent more than three hours in talks with Putin in the Kremlin. On the eve of the new meeting, on October 20, the American delegation discussed possible conditions for ending the conflict with Volodymyr Zelensky and European representatives in Oslo.
Reactions and related reports
Following the consultations in Oslo, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that some «elements of peace» had been agreed upon, which the American side intended to present to Moscow. Politico reported on a possible proposal by Whitkoff to organize a trilateral meeting of Putin, Trump and Zelensky. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov emphasized that Ukraine remains the main issue of the Saint Petersburg talks. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre expressed hope that Whitkoff would return to Oslo after his conversation with Putin to learn about the results of the contacts with the Russian side.
