United States Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in St Petersburg on Tuesday to meet Russian leaders regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine. The visit follows discussions between Witkoff and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway.
,Witkoff is scheduled to meet President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in the northwestern Russian city. The United States is pushing for an end to the conflict, which began more than four and a half years ago with Russia launching a full-scale invasion.
,US President Donald Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Zelenskyy recently, suggesting another figure should negotiate on Kyiv behalf. This friction marked a new low in bilateral ties, while Zelenskyy accused Washington of suspending intelligence sharing.
,US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the meeting between Witkoff and Zelenskyy as positive. Rubio noted that the US envoy would share the results of those discussions directly with the Russian side.
,Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald Trump, participated in the talks with Zelenskyy via video link due to illness. He is also expected to attend the upcoming meeting with Putin remotely.
,Prime ministers from Norway and Finland joined the Oslo talks alongside representatives from the European Union and NATO. Following the Tuesday discussions, Zelenskyy stated that very important intelligence from the United States had been restored.
,Zelenskyy also accused Washington of slowing down Starshield, the military-grade satellite internet service developed by Elon Musk company SpaceX that is vital for Ukrainian battlefield operations. Rubio rejected the accusation and stated that Trump had nothing to do with decisions made by Starlink and Starshield.
,Musk disputed this position and maintained that such decisions can only be made by the US military and the president. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered the slowdown of the service, citing US officials and individuals familiar with the matter.
,Amid these diplomatic moves, long-range attacks continued between the two warring nations. Governor Yegor Kovalchuk reported on Telegram that at least one person was killed and two others were wounded in a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia western Bryansk region.
,Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Emergency Service announced that two people died in a Russian bombardment targeting a high-rise residential building situated in the Sviatoshinsky district of the capital, Kyiv.
