US expects Putin to return diesel deal favor with concessions on Ukraine
Photo: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The US hopes that easing sanctions on Russian diesel fuel will help persuade Russian president Vladimir Putin to compromise on ending the war in Ukraine, reports Axios.
On Wednesday, October 21, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Putin in St. Petersburg. According to a US official, he will present the Russian leader with an updated proposal to end the war in Ukraine.
Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to US President Donald Trump, will join the meeting via video conference.
Washington expects Moscow to be more willing to compromise following the US administration's latest decisions. These include lifting sanctions on the sale of Russian diesel fuel and other measures that have been positively received in Russia.
It remains unclear whether these steps will actually affect Putin's position on ending the war.
How Zelenskyy's talks with the Americans went
Witkoff's trip to Russia was preceded by talks in Oslo, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US representatives and European partners.
The discussions were joined by the leaders of Norway and Finland, as well as representatives of France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the European Union and NATO.
The main topic was preparing a joint proposal for a framework agreement to end the war. According to a US official, the Ukrainian side presented new ideas that were discussed in detail during the meetings.
The US representative reported significant progress and alignment at the working level on the next steps. But this does not mean that the parties have already agreed on all the terms of a future agreement.
Washington hopes that the new proposal will help move toward direct trilateral negotiations involving Ukraine, the US and Russia, and eventually lead to a broader international dialogue.
On October 20, talks took place in Oslo involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US and European delegations.
Following the meeting, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the parties had developed ideas for a peaceful settlement of the war, which are to be presented to Russia today.
Meanwhile, US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg for talks with the Russian side. According to Russian media, his plane landed at Pulkovo airport in the morning, and Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev greeted the American envoy.
