The key facts
- On October 21, Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg; he was met at Pulkovo by RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev
- The meeting with Putin will take place at the Constantine Palace; according to Marco Rubio, Witkoff brought proposals discussed with Zelensky in Oslo
- The previous meeting between Putin and Witkoff in St. Petersburg on April 11, 2025 lasted about four and a half hours
Preparations for the talks
Kremlin pool journalist Alexander Yunashev published photographs of the final preparations ahead of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US presidential envoy Steven Witkoff. According to him, staff are setting up equipment in the Oval Hall of the Constantine Palace, which is also called the Trojan Hall. The talks will take place in St. Petersburg.
Arrival and context of the visit
On October 21, Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg; he was met at Pulkovo Airport by RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev. The meeting with Putin is scheduled at the Constantine Palace, and its main topic will be the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. The day before, Witkoff held talks with Volodymyr Zelensky and European representatives in Oslo. According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the American negotiator brought to Russia the proposals discussed there and will present to Putin the results of the meeting with Zelensky.
Organizational details
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov previously said that the meeting between Putin and Witkoff was agreed upon several days ago. The previous meeting between Putin and Witkoff in St. Petersburg took place on April 11, 2025 and lasted about four and a half hours.
