United States special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have wrapped up their latest meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin with the release of a retired American teacher from Russian custody. On Wednesday, Witkoff visited with Putin at the Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg, while Kushner attended virtually. The two special envoys have taken a leading role in conflict negotiations under US President Donald Trump.
Their last meeting with Putin came during a trip to Moscow in September. The latest talks come as the Trump administration intensifies its efforts to secure a peace deal to end Russia’s nearly five-year-long war against Ukraine. The war began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the Eastern European country in February 2022.
But there are growing concerns in Kyiv that the Trump administration is backing away from its support of Ukraine. Trump has fostered warm relations with Putin, and critics fear that he may be willing to yield to Russian demands to reach an agreement that would end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II. Here’s what took place during the meeting: The Russian president agreed on Wednesday to resume US-mediated peace negotiations with Ukraine for the first time in months.
A US official told Al Jazeera that Witkoff and Kushner proposed a “trilateral meeting at the technical level” that would focus on guaranteeing the security of Ukraine and Russia once the war had ended. The Ukrainians accepted the meeting when they met with the Americans on Tuesday in Oslo, Norway. The last US-mediated peace talks took place in February, just days before the US and Israel launched their war against Iran.
The Kremlin, according to the news agency, said the new talks with Ukraine and the US may take place in Abu Dhabi and could start as soon as next month. Wednesday’s meeting began with a goodwill gesture from Russia: the release of Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher who has been held in Russia for more than four years. Hubbard, 74, was arrested in 2022 and sentenced to more than six years in a Russian prison after he was accused of being a Ukrainian mercenary.
The US has argued the former teacher was wrongfully detained. Trump, who made a direct appeal to Putin for Hubbard’s release, posted on social media Wednesday that Russia did not ask for a prisoner swap “out of respect for” him. A US official said Trump spoke with Hubbard by phone and reiterated his “unwavering commitment” to bringing home all Americans who are wrongfully detained abroad.
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