Arya News - Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump`s special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 21.10.2026, Sputnik International
Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked US President Donald Trump for his attention to efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine during his meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff. Putin also inquired about the outcome of the recent talks in Norway.The Russian president recalled that during their last conversation, Trump had emphasized the need to end the conflict in Ukraine to prevent further loss of life.During his meeting with Steve Witkoff, Vladimir Putin expressed interest in restoring economic cooperation with the United States. Witkoff, in turn, thanked Putin for the release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard.The Russian delegation includes presidential aide Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president"s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).Ushakov previously said that the meeting between Putin and Witkoff had been arranged several days in advance.The talks are taking place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg.