Kremlin open to new Ukraine peace talks as Russia frees US teacher

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it’s ready to resume three-way negotiations with the United States and Ukraine to end the war. The statement came after Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Saint Petersburg for more than three hours. Witkoff described the discussions as “constructive, and will continue with trilateral talks between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine at the technical level.”

Talks coincide with American’s release

During the meeting, Witkoff announced that Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher imprisoned in Russia, had been freed. Hubbard was first detained in 2022 on charges that Hostage Aid Worldwide says were fabricated. He was later given a prison sentence of nearly seven years after a secret trial in 2024. Russian prosecutors claimed he joined Ukraine’s military after the full-scale invasion and fought until his capture two months later. The Biden administration had classified Hubbard as wrongfully detained. His release marks the second time in about two months that Russia has let an American go, following the August release of former US Marine Robert Gilman.

Witkoff told Putin he saw “some degree of momentum” in the US-led talks. He also expressed Washington’s gratitude for a recent diesel deal that eased sanctions on Moscow to allow Russian fuel into the US. That arrangement angered Ukraine and European nations, and many see it as a move to cut fuel prices for American voters before next month’s midterm elections. The elections are expected to be tough for Trump’s Republican Party. The deal is one of several Trump administration actions viewed as favorable to Moscow amid growing tensions with Kyiv.

Witkoff said the US is interested in further “business and economic cooperation” with Russia once the war ends. “We even talk about it now openly with the Ukrainians to give them some sort of sense about what the possibilities will be when this whole conflict is over,” he said. The Kremlin, meanwhile, downplayed recent Ukrainian and European proposals, saying they lacked substance. Preparations are also underway for a summit next month in Shenzhen, China, between Putin, US President Donald Trump, and China’s Xi Jinping. The Kremlin called it “the first such meeting in history.”