Washington envoy visits Moscow for talks on Kyiv

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with United States envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on Wednesday about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as US President Donald Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.

Witkoff traveled to Russia from Norway, where he met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in talks Washington described as "positive".

Witkoff said in televised remarks at the start of the meeting that he hoped to discuss the resumption of the trilateral talks involving the US, Russia and Ukraine that would allow the technical teams to discuss the next steps toward a peace settlement.

Putin thanked Trump for his "attention" to the conflict and said the US leader had "insisted that it was necessary to end this conflict" in their last phone call.

Zelensky said he hoped for a positive outcome from Witkoff's meeting in Russia on Wednesday and that he supports talks between the leaders of Kyiv, Washington and Moscow.

Russia on Wednesday released a US man who had been jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, in a deal reached during the visit.

Bitter feud

The trip by Trump's special envoy is part of efforts to draw a line under a bitter feud between him and Zelensky over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

It followed days of friction between Kyiv and Washington after Trump struck a diesel-supply deal with Putin and called for Zelensky to be replaced after Ukraine refused to stop hitting Russian oil refineries.

Ukraine reacted with dismay after Trump waived sanctions targeting Russia's economic and energy infrastructure.

The feud spiraled as Zelensky accused Trump of weakness, and then alleged that the US was deliberately withholding vital intelligence and delaying the delivery of interceptor missiles.

Zelensky said on Monday that "the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles" already paid for by European countries, while the shipment was waiting for the US Defense Secretary's signature.

Trump, who called on Zelensky to resign last week, also criticized the Ukrainian president for not accepting terms he said he had offered in February 2025.

AGENCIES VIA XINHUA