US Envoy Heads to Putin Meeting as Ukraine Says Intelligence Support Has Resumed
Constantvpn.com – US special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in St Petersburg for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, bringing forward proposals intended to help end the war in Ukraine. His visit follows discussions in Oslo involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European leaders and US representatives.
Witkoff landed in Russia on Wednesday morning and was greeted on the runway by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. The meeting with Putin comes at a sensitive moment, with Kyiv seeking firmer security support while Washington presses both sides to move towards an agreement.
Putin has not yet commented publicly on the latest proposals. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin would hear Witkoff’s presentation, while making clear that Moscow did not intend to offer political concessions.
Oslo talks produce cautious optimism
The St Petersburg discussions follow a round of meetings in the Norwegian capital on Tuesday. Zelensky met Witkoff in Oslo, while Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also took part. Jared Kushner, another prominent US envoy and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, joined remotely by video.
Witkoff did not appear at the joint press conference after the talks. Even so, a US official described the discussions as constructive and said there was strong working-level agreement between the United States, Ukraine and European participants on what should happen next.
Stubb said the participants had made genuine progress on peace-related proposals, but urged patience and did not disclose the details under discussion. Zelensky and his European partners have said the focus now turns to Moscow’s response when Witkoff meets Putin.
The talks examined possible security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as energy-related ceasefire ideas. For Kyiv, any future settlement would need to address both the immediate danger of continued attacks and the longer-term question of how Ukraine would be protected after a halt in fighting.
“Of course, we are not losing this war, but we are losing people because Russia attacks,” Zelensky said.
Støre stressed that European countries must have a role in decisions on ending the conflict. That reflects a central concern among Ukraine’s allies: arrangements affecting European security cannot be settled without Europe being involved in the process.
Zelensky welcomes renewed intelligence flow
A major point of focus in Oslo was US intelligence support. Kyiv had previously complained that critical information was being withheld, an accusation Washington rejected as scandalous. On Tuesday, however, Zelensky said the intelligence-sharing system was now functioning again, particularly in relation to warnings of Russian missile attacks.
“Speaking about early warning, which is very important for our people, our children, adults, civilians because we can hear when ballistic[s] is coming – so we are thankful to American side, now it works, it’s great,” Zelensky said.
Early warning information can give civilians and emergency services more time to react when ballistic missiles are incoming. It is especially important as Russian drone and missile attacks continue to affect cities far from the front line.
Zelensky also said he hoped for progress involving SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service. Ukraine’s military has recently raised concerns about reported speed limits on the US-based platform, which Kyiv uses for battlefield communications and drone operations. Before the Oslo meeting, Zelensky said he had held a constructive discussion with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about early warnings, missile interceptors and Starlink access.
Last week, a bipartisan group of US senators called for an urgent investigation into restrictions affecting Starlink speeds in Ukraine.
Pressure grows as attacks continue
The diplomatic activity has unfolded against a continuing wave of deadly Russian attacks. Ukrainian officials said at least 10 people were killed on Tuesday: four in Kyiv and the surrounding region, four in the eastern Donetsk region and two in Dnipro. A further overnight attack near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killed two more people on Wednesday.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and currently occupies roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. The scale of the territory under Russian control, alongside the ongoing attacks on civilians and infrastructure, remains one of the most difficult barriers to any negotiated outcome.
Zelensky said Ukraine remained prepared to negotiate an end to the war. At the same time, Kyiv has repeatedly sought strong guarantees that any agreement would not simply create a pause before another Russian offensive.
Trump urges Kyiv to reach a deal
Relations between Kyiv and Washington have become increasingly strained in recent weeks. Trump has said Ukraine needs a new president and suggested that someone else should negotiate for the country. Speaking at the White House after Zelensky’s Oslo press conference, Trump again urged Kyiv to accept an agreement.
Trump said Russia wanted to “get it done” and that it was “time for Ukraine to end this war”.
With US midterm elections approaching next month, Trump has also linked Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries to rising fuel prices. Those prices have been increasing since the beginning of the US-led war with Iran.
For Ukraine, the resumption of intelligence assistance provides immediate practical value amid continuing air attacks. For the wider negotiations, Witkoff’s meeting with Putin may show whether the apparent coordination achieved in Oslo can be translated into a meaningful response from Moscow.
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