Putin Meets Trump Envoy Witkoff in St Petersburg as US Teacher Hubbard Is Freed

On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin welcomed US special envoy Steve Witkoff at a lavish imperial palace in St Petersburg, marking their ninth face-to-face discussion aimed at exploring new strategies to conclude the conflict in Ukraine. The meeting began with Russia's goodwill act of releasing a retired American educator detained in the country. This dialogue occurs as Washington seeks to end Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War II, following Donald Trump's remarks urging Kyiv to either resolve the war or risk "a very bad thing." Concerns have been raised by Kyiv and its allies regarding the US potentially retreating from its support, including instances of withholding real-time intelligence and hindering Ukrainian military communications. Over two years have elapsed since Trump vowed to resolve the Ukraine war within a day during his election campaign.