Witkoff Meets Putin In St. Petersburg: Foundation For Ukraine Ceasefire Exists
Putin offered to help resolve the Iran crisis and revive U.S.-Russia economic ties, while Witkoff urged him to consider resuming trilateral Russia-U.S.-Ukraine talks.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday declaring after the meeting that the Oslo negotiations were constructive and that he hopes they represent a tangible step forward toward peace in Ukraine, expressing hope that Putin will consider resuming trilateral negotiations between Moscow, Washington, and Kyiv to address technical issues, while Putin told Witkoff that Russia is prepared to assist in resolving the Iran crisis and that Moscow wishes to resume economic cooperation with the United States.
"The Oslo negotiations were constructive and we hope this is a tangible step forward toward peace in Ukraine," Witkoff said following the St. Petersburg meeting, the first public confirmation that separate negotiations had taken place in Oslo as part of the diplomatic process surrounding the Ukraine war.
Witkoff added: "We hope President Putin will consider the possibility of resuming negotiations between Moscow, Washington, and Kyiv to address technical issues," framing the next step as a technical rather than political negotiation and suggesting the broad outlines of a ceasefire framework may already exist with implementation details remaining to be worked through.
He also declared: "There is a foundation upon which a ceasefire in Ukraine can be built," in the most optimistic American public statement on Ukraine since the conflict entered its current phase.
Putin's Iran Message
Putin's request to Witkoff regarding Iran is the most significant single disclosure from the meeting. "It is important for me to hear your assessment of the crisis surrounding Iran," Putin told Witkoff, adding that Russia is prepared to assist in its resolution. The statement places Russia formally on record as an active participant willing to help resolve the US-Iran conflict, at a moment when Russian FM Lavrov visited Tehran on Monday and confirmed Russian specialists are gradually returning to the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and when Iranian FM Araghchi declared Iran-Russia relations have reached their highest historical level.
Putin's desire to hear Washington's Iran assessment through Witkoff suggests Moscow wants to understand the current state of the US-Iran negotiation before positioning Russia's offer of assistance. It also provides Washington with a potential additional pressure channel on Tehran at a critical juncture in the indirect US-Iran talks through Qatari and Pakistani mediators.
Economic Cooperation
Putin separately expressed Russia's desire to resume economic cooperation with the United States. The statement coincides with Trump's signing of the Graham Act Russia sanctions waiver last Friday, which Trump described as a test to determine whether continued discussions with Kyiv and Moscow can produce positive results.
Secretary Rubio confirmed earlier Wednesday that Witkoff had previously met Ukrainian President Zelensky positively and presented Russian ideas for ending the war before traveling to St. Petersburg, confirming his role as a shuttle diplomat between Kyiv and Moscow simultaneously.