Saint Petersburg: Steve Witkoff, a special envoy of the US has reached Saint Petersburg in Russia for a scheduled meeting with president Vladimir Putin, Al Jazeera reported.
This comes even as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine war and urged the United States and European allies to help advance peace efforts.
Zelenskyy highlighted the human cost of the conflict ahead of Witkoff’s meeting with Putin, saying that despite Ukraine’s continued resistance, Russian attacks were claiming lives and depriving children of a normal childhood.
“Of course, we are not losing this war. But we are losing people. Because of the Russian attacks, we’re losing people and time,” Zelenskyy said. “It’s such a pity, because our children don’t have a real life and childhood. Not only children, but all people. That’s why we need to end this war as quickly as possible.”
While praising the resilience of Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the battlefield, he expressed hope that Ukraine’s international partners would help bring the conflict to an end,
Zelenskyy has also called for a possible trilateral summit involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia to address key issues and advance negotiations. Kyiv and its European partners are preparing proposals to present to Moscow, including arrangements for security guarantees.
The United States had reiterated the importance of providing Ukraine with strong security guarantees, Zelenskyy said at a joint press conference in Oslo alongside Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish president Alexander Stubb.
“Today we discussed security guarantees, and I’m thankful for the American side for underlining again that they have to be strong,” he said, adding that Witkoff would share the relevant documents with Russian officials and Ukraine would assess the feedback after the discussions.
He also welcomed the resumption of an early warning system that alerts Ukraine to incoming Russian ballistic missile attacks, describing it as important for protecting the population.
A telephone conversation with US secretary of state Marco Rubio had covered sensitive issues, including Starlink, ballistic missile interceptors and intelligence cooperation, he said, describing the exchange as constructive.
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine had supported the US initiative and offered to stop targeting sensitive Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow halted attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities. Russia had not accepted the proposal, he said.
US president Donald Trump, meanwhile, has said Ukraine must be willing to negotiate an end to the conflict.
“Ukraine has to want to settle this war. Zelenskyy has to want to settle this war,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office, warning that failure to do so could have serious consequences.
Russia wanted to reach an agreement while continuing to advance on the battlefield, Trump said.