War in Ukraine
Putin talks to Trump envoy Witkoff about war in Ukraine
The talks will take place in St. Petersburg. At the beginning, Putin announces the release of US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who has been imprisoned since 2024.
Important updates:
Witkoff arrived in Russia for Ukraine talks
After talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo, US negotiator Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg for negotiations with the Russian leadership. Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriyev received Witkoff at Pulkovo airport in the morning, state media reported. Witkoff had also spoken to top European politicians in Norway the evening before. He now wants to submit proposals developed by the Europeans and Americans for a peace solution to the Russian war of aggression to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
It is not known when the conversation with Putin will begin in the Constantine Palace. The US government hopes that the developed peace proposal âpaves the way to direct trilateral and then broader multilateral negotiations,â a US official told the news portal Axios. Ukraine presented new ideas and proposals in Oslo, which were discussed in detail. There had been âsignificant progressâ and âstrong agreement at working level,â it said.
Russia releases US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who has been imprisoned since 2024
US negotiator Steve Witkoff's talks with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin about Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine have begun in St. Petersburg. At the start, Putin announced the release of an American who was sentenced to a long prison sentence in Russia in 2024 because he is said to have fought as a mercenary alongside the Ukrainian armed forces against Russian troops. Stephen Hubbard is already at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, the Kremlin chief said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.
Witkoff thanked Putin for the release. He will also leave from Pulkovo after talks with the Russian President. Putin himself once again thanked US President Donald Trump for trying to end the war in Ukraine. To do this, Witkoff should inform him about his Ukraine talks the day before in Oslo, as the Kremlin chief said in the Constantine Palace.
Reports: Musk ordered Starlink throttled
According to media reports, the founder of the US space company Space-X, Elon Musk, is said to be behind the throttling of the Starlink satellite internet for Ukraine. This is reported by the Wall Street Journal and CBS News, citing people supposedly familiar with the matter. The White House and Musk had rejected allegations of targeted functional restrictions.
Musk had several conversations with government officials leading up to the decision, CBS News reported. He therefore wanted to gain clarity about where President Donald Trump stands on this matter. According to the Wall Street Journal, Musk and Trump then spoke directly to each other on the phone after the throttling. The Starlink satellite service belongs to the Space-X company, owned by Musk.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, has stated that decisions about Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite network rest with the operator Space-X and its boss Elon Musk. The US government has no influence on this, Rubio said on Wednesday during a trip to India.
During US mediations: Russia attacks several Ukrainian cities
In the middle of US mediator Steve Witkoff's shuttle diplomacy, Russia has again attacked targets in Ukraine. Two people were killed in a drone attack near Kharkiv overnight, regional governor Oleh Synyehubow said on Telegram. In the capital Kiev, a Russian air strike hit a high-rise residential building and parts of the transport infrastructure, explains Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Two people were injured in another attack on a university in Kremenchuk in the Poltava region, according to local authorities.
According to Russian information, Ukraine is also continuing its attacks. A 19-year-old was killed in a drone attack on a car in the western Russian region of Bryansk, regional governor Yegor Kovalchuk said on the short message service Telegram. Two other people were injured in the incident. The information cannot be independently verified.
Trump calls on Ukraine to enter into an agreement with Russia
US President Donald Trump is calling on Ukraine to agree to an agreement to resolve the war with Russia. âUkraine has to want to end this war,â Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Russia has an advantage because the country is advancing inexorably like âa big machineâ and has already taken over âa very large piece of land,â Trump explains.
Witkoff is apparently traveling to Russia for talks on Wednesday
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to St. Petersburg on Wednesday to meet with Russian leaders. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr StĂžre announced this on Tuesday. StĂžre made the comments after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Witkoff and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. âSteve is traveling to Russia tomorrow â letâs see what Putin has to say about it,â Zelenskiy said.
Luhansk: Two dead reported in Ukrainian attacks
According to Russian sources, two people were killed in Ukrainian attacks in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region in the east of the country. This was announced by the governor appointed by Moscow.
Zelensky and Witkoff on Ukraine talks in Norway
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and US special envoy Steve Witkoff arrive in Oslo for talks. US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will also take part in the talks virtually.
US Secretary of State: âNo targeted political intention to harm Ukraineâ
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio does not rule out delays in the delivery of interceptor missiles to Ukraine. However, he rejected the accusation of a targeted blockade by the US government.
Dead after Russian shelling of Kramatorsk
At least three civilians were killed and two others injured in a Russian attack in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, prosecutors said.
Three dead in Russian airstrike in Kyiv region
At least three people were killed and six others injured in a Russian air strike in the Kiev region overnight. Drone hits were also reported in Kharkiv, Sumy, Odessa, Dnipro, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil and Lviv regions.
Trump open to three-way meetings with Putin and Xi
US President Trump has declared his willingness to attend a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha sharply criticized the idea.
Trump: We gave Ukraine a lot - and they gave us nothing
US President Donald Trump has accused Ukraine of not offering anything in return for US support. âWe gave a lot to Ukraine â they gave us nothing,â he said in Washington.
