Witkoff calls Putin a 'humanitarian' at Russia peace talks without Ukraine

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "humanitarian" after arriving in St. Petersburg for talks about ending the war in Ukraine.

In a video posted to social media, Witkoff thanked Putin for describing President Donald Trump as a "humanitarian" and added: "You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again."

The talks began a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted that any negotiations over his country's future must include Kyiv.

Speaking alongside the leaders of Finland and Norway in Oslo late Tuesday, Zelenskyy said discussions with U.S. officials had been constructive and that Washington had reaffirmed its commitment to providing Ukraine with security guarantees.

But he stressed that any agreement concerning Ukraine's future would be acceptable only if Kyiv had a seat at the negotiating table.

"It can be acceptable only when we are at the table of negotiations," he said, adding that he had discussed the reported proposal of a trilateral meeting between the U.S., China, and Russia to negotiate an end to the almost five-year conflict with U.S. representatives. "Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," he said.

At the start of talks in St. Petersburg, Russia announced it would release an American man, retired teacher Stephen Hubbard, who had been "wrongfully detained," according to the State Department, on charges that he was a Ukrainian mercenary. Witkoff thanked Putin for the release, according to Russian media.

On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said the Oslo meeting had included discussions on NATO's Article 5 – which says that an armed attack against one member constitutes an attack on all – and "different kinds of security guarantees," which Witkoff will share with the Russians. "We will hear his feedback in one day," Zelenskyy said Tuesday.

The developments come amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine as Trump and Zelenskyy have traded public criticism. Trump has accused the Ukrainian president of not wanting peace, while Zelenskyy has argued that Washington's easing of sanctions on Russia, including a deal on diesel, risks prolonging the conflict.

Overnight, Russia struck energy and civilian targets across Ukraine, resulting in at least one casualty, according to local media reports. It follows Trump's Oct. 11 claim that he had brokered an "energy ceasefire," whereby the countries would refrain from striking each other's energy infrastructure amid high diesel prices.

Ukraine paused such attacks for three days before resuming them, citing continuing Russian attacks.

On Tuesday, Zelenskyy confirmed that U.S. intelligence had resumed sharing early warnings of Russian attacks, while discussions continued over SpaceX's Starlink connectivity and Patriot air defense systems.