What Did US Envoy Discuss with Putin in St. Petersburg? Insights on Ukraine Conflict

US Special Envoy Meets Putin Amid Ukraine Tensions

St. Petersburg: In a significant meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin engaged with Steve Witkoff, a special envoy representing US President Donald Trump, to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The Kremlin disclosed that the discussions revolved around various elements related to resolving the Ukrainian crisis, although specific details were not provided.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated that the talks were conducted privately, and while both parties would share perspectives on the Ukraine situation, no significant advancements were anticipated.

Prior to his meeting with Putin, Witkoff had discussions with Kirill Dmitriev, who leads the Russian Direct Investment Fund and serves as the special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign nations. Dmitriev later described their discussions as 'productive.'

As reported by the Russian news agency TASS, Witkoff arrived in Russia for a business trip on Friday morning and left St. Petersburg later that evening.

Earlier, the Russian consulate in Istanbul announced that progress had been made in securing banking and financial services for both Russian and US diplomatic missions during the second round of bilateral discussions held in Istanbul.

The delegations from both nations exchanged diplomatic notes to formalize their commitments, aimed at ensuring seamless banking and financial services for their respective diplomatic missions, as well as fulfilling Russia's contributions to the budgets of the UN and other international organizations.

Additionally, the two sides agreed to formulate a roadmap concerning the return of six diplomatic properties that were confiscated by US authorities but are legally owned by Russia.