Witkoff arrives in St Petersburg for talks with Putin on Ukraine

US special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Saint Petersburg early on 21 October 2026 to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin and discuss Ukraine, as efforts continue to find a way forward on Russia's war there. The outcome of the talks could shape those efforts.

Witkoff was met at Pulkovo Airport by Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin's adviser for international economic cooperation, who is also described as a Russian presidential envoy.

Earlier talks

The day before travelling to Russia, Witkoff held discussions with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of Norway and Finland. Zelenskyy and the two European leaders expressed a positive tone afterwards. It remains to be seen whether that mood lasts until the end of the day.

Cautious Kremlin signal

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said he "didn't know if any agreement will be reached today", according to the Russian news agency Interfax. Moscow is thus itself tempering expectations of an immediate result.

The information comes from the Guardian's live coverage of events in Europe. The same coverage notes that France and Italy are stepping up their response to recent protests and riots that disrupted everyday life.