US envoy Witkoff meets Putin in Russia for Ukraine war talks

Summary

US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in Russia as part of Washington's push to end the war in Ukraine. CBC reports that Putin hosted Witkoff in a grand imperial palace to review new ideas on ending the war. The Hindu reports the meeting took place in Saint Petersburg and is part of efforts to draw a line under a bitter feud between President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy over the war with Russia. Al Jazeera reports that Witkoff told Putin he hoped to discuss resuming the trilateral talks between the United States, Ukraine and Russia.

Timeline

1. Al Jazeera

   21 Oct 2026, 07:37 UTCSource ↗

   Al Jazeera reports that Trump envoy Witkoff met Putin for Ukraine war talks, and that Witkoff told Putin he hoped to discuss resuming the trilateral talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia.

2. The Hindu

   21 Oct 2026, 11:14 UTCSource ↗

   The Hindu reports that Trump's special envoy Witkoff met Putin in Saint Petersburg, a trip that is part of efforts to draw a line under the bitter feud between Trump and Zelenskyy over the war with Russia.

3. CBC

   21 Oct 2026, 11:40 UTCSource ↗

   CBC reports that Putin hosted U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in a grand imperial palace on Wednesday to review new ideas on ending the war in Ukraine, amid a report that Musk throttled Starlink.