Key facts
- US special envoy Steve Witkoff called Vladimir Putin a "humanitarian" during talks.
- Witkoff saluted and commended Putin, thanking him.
- The meeting took place in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.
- Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday.
- Russia continued strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv overnight, killing three people.
Steve Witkoff, the United States’ special envoy, praised Russian President Vladimir Putin during face-to-face talks in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, calling him “a humanitarian.” Witkoff's visit is the latest US attempt to bring Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiation table, more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The American envoy had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo on Tuesday and is expected to propose trilateral talks between the leaders and US President Donald Trump. Russia's strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv continued overnight, killing three people, according to local mayors.