Witkoff Meets Putin in St Petersburg as Kyiv Reports Progress on Security Guarantees

Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's special envoy, arrived in Russia on Wednesday to meet Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg, carrying proposals agreed with Ukraine and its European allies on measures to end Moscow's unprovoked war. The visit followed talks in Oslo on Tuesday between Witkoff, President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders, which a US official described as constructive.

Zelensky used the occasion to express relief that American intelligence sharing on Russian strikes had resumed. Kyiv had accused Washington of withholding such information in recent weeks, a claim the US dismissed as scandalous. Speaking after the Oslo meeting, the Ukrainian leader said he was grateful the arrangement now functioned. Early warning mattered acutely, he explained, because civilians could hear when ballistic missiles were inbound. Washington, he added, had restored a service that saves Ukrainian lives.

The Kremlin signalled it would listen to what Witkoff presented but ruled out any political concessions. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, offered no indication of flexibility, while Putin himself has yet to comment publicly. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who joined the Oslo talks alongside Norway's prime minister, said genuine progress had been made on peace proposals but declined to elaborate, warning that patience would be required.

Europe's leaders remain anxious about Washington's shifting posture. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz referred on Monday to mixed pictures and messages, saying he was trying to persuade the American government that the war must be resolved jointly. His concern is understandable. Trump has recently suggested Ukraine needs a new president and that somebody else should negotiate on its behalf, while Vice-President JD Vance described Kyiv as a partner in some ways only, questioning its Nato aspirations and urging an end to strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.

Those remarks have landed awkwardly in Kyiv, where Russian drone attacks continued this week. Ukrainian officials reported at least ten deaths on Tuesday, four in the capital and its surrounding region, four in the eastern Donetsk region and two in Dnipro. An overnight strike on Wednesday killed two more people near Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city. Amid the bloodshed, Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv stood ready for negotiations, though he pointedly observed that Ukraine was not losing the war but was losing people because Russia attacks.

Practical questions linger over Washington's commitments. Unconfirmed reports suggested additional Patriot interceptor missiles, the only reliable defence against Russian ballistic missiles, had not yet been approved for transfer. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, conceded the interceptors might not have arrived but insisted nothing had been denied to Kyiv deliberately. Zelensky also raised hopes for progress on Starlink, after Ukraine's military reported speed restrictions on drones using the network, prompting a bipartisan group of US senators to demand an urgent investigation.

As Witkoff sits down with Putin, the burden now falls on Moscow to respond to proposals shaped in Oslo. European leaders insist they must be at the table in any settlement, and Kyiv's allies will watch the St Petersburg meeting for signs that the Kremlin is prepared to engage seriously. Russia's full-scale invasion, launched in 2022, continues to devastate a sovereign nation, and Putin's forces still occupy roughly a fifth of Ukrainian territory. The World House, which maintains a dedicated page outlining its support for Ukraine at worldhouse.uk/support, continues to document the consequences of Russia's aggression.