Putin and U.S. envoy Witkoff hold talks in St. Petersburg as Washington pushes a new plan to end the war in Ukraine

Steve Witkoff, the U.S. president’s special envoy, flew to St. Petersburg this morning for a meeting with Vladimir Putin, part of a renewed U.S. effort to restart talks on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. Jared Kushner, the U.S. president’s son-in-law, who usually accompanies Witkoff on such trips, did not travel to Russia because of illness but is taking part in the meeting by video link.