US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21 to discuss proposals to end the war in Ukraine. Witkoff urged Putin to consider resuming three-way talks involving Russia, the United States and Ukraine, CNN reported.

The meeting followed Witkoff’s discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo. Witkoff said renewed three-way negotiations could provide a forum for addressing technical issues.

Proposals from Oslo meet Russia’s demands

A US official said the Oslo discussions had produced meaningful progress, with Washington and Kyiv closely aligned on their next steps. The official said Ukraine had presented new proposals that the two sides discussed in detail.

The talks covered long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, a postwar economic plan and wider European security arrangements, the official said. Washington’s aim was to take those proposals to Russia and open a path towards direct negotiations involving the three countries and other participants.

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Ukraine and its allies reiterated that any settlement must include security guarantees. They also rejected demands that Kyiv surrender territory.

Moscow has demanded that Ukraine give up the entire eastern Donbas region, sharply reduce its armed forces and pledge never to join NATO. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would hear the American proposals but would make no political concessions.

Energy ceasefire and intelligence cooperation

Zelensky said Ukraine had backed a US proposal for a reciprocal pause in attacks on energy infrastructure. Kyiv offered to stop targeting sensitive Russian energy facilities if Moscow halted attacks on Ukrainian facilities, he said. Russia had not accepted the proposal, according to Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president also said intelligence sharing with the United States had resumed. He welcomed the restoration of early warnings about incoming Russian ballistic missiles, describing the alerts as important for protecting the population.

US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, pressed Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war. He said both Ukraine and Zelensky had to be willing to reach a settlement.

Economic ties and a promised prisoner release

Putin expressed interest in restoring economic cooperation with the United States. The meeting also covered possible Russian fertilizer exports to the US, CNN reported.

Witkoff announced that Russia would release Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American prisoner detained in the country for more than four years. No release date was specified.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Witkoff planned to return to Oslo for further consultations after visiting Russia. Whether Moscow would accept the proposals or agree to renewed three-way talks remained unresolved.