US envoy arrives in Russia ahead of meeting with Putin as Zelensky says intelligence sharing 'works now'
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US special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Russia for his meeting with President Vladimir Putin
(Image source: Reuters)
Image caption: Witkoff was met by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev on the runway when he arrived in St Petersburg on Wednesday morning.
By
Jaroslav Lukiv
and
Ewe Koh
Published
20 October 2026
Updated 5 minutes ago
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Russia for his meeting with President Vladimir Putin, where the two will discuss proposals on ending Russia's years-long conflict with Ukraine.
The talks come one day after Witkoff's meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo, which a US official described as "constructive".
Kyiv previously accused the US of withholding key intelligence - a claim rejected as "scandalous" by Washington - but on Tuesday, Zelensky said that intelligence sharing with the US on Russian missile attacks "works now".
Zelensky and his European allies said it was now up to Russia to respond to the proposals agreed in Oslo when Witkoff meets Putin in St Petersburg.
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Figure caption:
Watch: Zelensky says US military intelligence sharing "works now"
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who also took part in the Oslo talks, said "genuine progress" was made on proposals to achieve peace but gave no details and warned that "patience would be needed."
Witkoff was not present at the joint press conference after Tuesday's talks in the Norwegian capital. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, another key envoy, took part in the meeting via video link.
A US official later described the talks as "very productive and constructive", saying there was a "strong alignment at the working level" among the US, Ukraine and Europe on "the next steps."
Putin is yet to publicly comment on the latest developments, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier said the Kremlin would listen to what Wiktoff would offer, while ruling out "any political concessions."
**Relations between Ukraine and the US have soured in recent weeks to the extent that Trump has said it is time for Ukraine to get a new president, and most recently "for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine."
Ahead of next month's US midterm elections, Trump has also sought to blame Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries for fuel prices which have been rising since the start of the US-led war on Iran.
**Speaking after Zelensky's news conference in Oslo, Trump again told reporters at the White House he wanted Kyiv to "make a deal." He said Russia would like to "get it done" and it was "time for Ukraine to end this war."
Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Russian drone attacks have continued this week. Ukrainian officials said at least 10 people were killed on Tuesday - four in Kyiv and the capital region, another four in the eastern Donetsk region, and two in the central city of Dnipro. Another attack overnight on Wednesday killed two more people near Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city.
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(Image source: Reuters)
(Image caption: Trump envoy Witkoff (L) joined Finnish President Stubb)