The key facts
- Witkoff flew to Saint Petersburg from Norway and was met by RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev
- The meeting with Putin is scheduled for October 21 at Constantine Palace
- Jared Kushner was unable to come in person and may join remotely
Witkoff's motorcade headed from Pulkovo to the palace
A motorcade presumably carrying US President's special envoy Steve Witkoff was caught on video after leaving Pulkovo airport in Saint Petersburg — the footage was obtained by Life.ru. The American negotiator left the airport together with the Russian President's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev, who met him after his arrival from Norway. The motorcade arrived at Constantine Palace, where Witkoff's meeting with Vladimir Putin is scheduled for October 21. According to the outlet, for getting around Saint Petersburg the American special envoy used a Russian Aurus car.
The topic of the talks — resolving the Ukrainian conflict
The main topic of the upcoming talks will be resolving the Ukrainian conflict. As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously reported, Witkoff intends to brief the Russian side on the proposals discussed the day before with Volodymyr Zelensky and European representatives in Oslo. The American president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to Life.ru, was unable to come to Russia in person and may join the conversation remotely.
Preparations for the meeting
According to Life.ru, the meeting between Putin and Witkoff was arranged several days before the visit. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov called it a routine event whose preparation was no secret to the participants. Earlier, on September 5, the Russian leader had already received American negotiators in the Kremlin — on that occasion the discussion lasted more than three hours.
