American negotiator Steve Whitkoff plans to meet with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21. This was reported by The New York Times.
Whitkoff is expected to try to demonstrate the benefits of reaching agreements with Putin by securing the release of an American who has been detained in Russia for a long time.
It is not specified who exactly is being referred to. According to The New York Times, the only U.S. citizen whom the State Department classifies as wrongfully detained in Russia is Steven Hubbard. He fought on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and was sentenced to six years and ten months in a penal colony.
On October 20, Trump's representatives met with Zelenskyy in Oslo. Whitkoff was present in person, while Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner joined remotely as he had the flu. The meeting also included Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
After the meeting, Jonas Gahr Støre confirmed that the American negotiator's meeting with Putin would take place.
Earlier, the Financial Times also reported that after the talks in Oslo, Whitkoff would travel to Russia. According to its information, one of his goals would be to secure Hubbard's release.
Steven Hubbard is 72 years old. In October 2024, a Russian court sentenced him to six years and ten months in a general regime penal colony under an article on mercenary activity. According to the investigation, in February 2022, Hubbard joined the territorial defense of Izium in the Kharkiv region, where he had lived since 2014. In April of the same year, he was captured by Russia, after which he was put on trial.
In April 2025, during the previous U.S. presidential administration, the State Department called on Russia to release Hubbard.
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