US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner recently concluded a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, resulting in the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher who had been detained in Russia for over four years. Hubbard, who was arrested in 2022 and subsequently sentenced to more than six years in prison on allegations of acting as a Ukrainian mercenary, is now returning to the United States to reunite with his family. Trump, who made a direct appeal to Putin for Hubbard’s release, posted on social media Wednesday that Russia did not ask for a prisoner swap “out of respect for” him. Hubbard is headed back to the US where he will be reunited with his family. “Putin is stone cold killer,” he wrote in response to Witkoff’s remarks.
The negotiations took place on Wednesday at the Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg, with Witkoff attending in person while Kushner joined the discussions virtually. These envoys, who have spearheaded conflict resolution efforts for the Trump administration, held their previous session with the Russian leader in Moscow this past September. The administration is currently pushing for a peace agreement to conclude the conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But there are growing concerns in Kyiv that the Trump administration is backing away from its support of Ukraine. And critics fear that he may be willing to yield to Russian demands to reach an agreement that would end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II, trump has fostered warm relations with Putin. He indicated that complimenting Putin likely aided the negotiations.
During the session, Putin agreed to restart US-mediated peace negotiations with Ukraine for the first time in several months.
A US official confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner proposed a “trilateral meeting at the technical level,” aimed at establishing security guarantees for both Ukraine and Russia post-conflict.
This proposal received support from Ukrainian representatives during discussions in Oslo, Norway, earlier this week. Reports indicate that these follow-up talks might commence as early as next month in Abu Dhabi. The Ukrainians accepted the meeting when they met with the Americans on Tuesday in Oslo, Norway.
The meeting sparked controversy when Witkoff referred to Putin as a “humanitarian” for his role in facilitating Hubbard’s release. Tillis, a member of Trump’s Republican Party, continued by writing that Witkoff should look up the definition of “humanitarian”. Tillis’s Senate colleague, Republican John Cornyn, echoed those thoughts.
The remark triggered significant backlash from lawmakers, including US Senator Thom Tillis, who labeled the comment “embarrassing and outrageous,” and Senator Mark Kelly, who denounced the Russian president as a “war criminal” responsible for widespread suffering. Who pointed to accusations of severe human rights abuses under Putin’s leadership, that praise for the Russian president sparked bipartisan backlash from US lawmakers and human rights activists. “What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say,” he said. “You should go back to Ukraine and ask the families of the children Putin has kidnapped and murdered whether they agree your friend Putin is a ‘humanitarian’.”. Bombed hospitals, and started a war that has intentionally killed tens of thousands of innocent people, including women and children,” Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, said, he’s assassinated political rivals and journalists. “But I wouldn’t say anything one way or the other,” the US president said.
Despite the bipartisan criticism, members of the Trump administration defended the envoy.
Vice President JD Vance argued that Witkoff was focused on achieving a specific goal, while President Trump later described the comment as a “good saying” for the purpose of securing a prisoner release, though he declined to offer personal validation of the characterization.
Additionally, the Kremlin confirmed that discussions took place regarding a potential meeting between President Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the possibility of a trilateral summit was raised, noting that all three leaders might attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China.
While officials emphasized that no specific agenda or formal agreements have been set, the prospect of such a high-level meeting represents a significant development in the diplomatic landscape, especially as skepticism grows in Kyiv regarding the long-term US commitment to the ongoing war in Ukraine. “No specific proposals or agreements were discussed or put forward by anyone, either regarding the meeting itself or the possible agenda and content of that meeting.”.
