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ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - RELEASED ON OCT. 21, 2026: Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff began their meeting in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, with the Ukraine conflict, energy supplies and prospects for restoring economic cooperation discussed in opening remarks.
Opening the meeting, Putin said Russia was interested in restoring economic cooperation with the US and was ready to supply larger quantities of fertilizers to the US market.
He said diesel prices had fallen by 5-6% following the Russian-US agreement on diesel supplies.
Putin said he was interested in Trump's assessment of the situation surrounding Iran and that Russia was ready to help resolve the conflict.
Putin added that Trump emphasized the need to end the Ukraine conflict during their latest telephone conversation in order to stop further loss of life.
Witkoff described Tuesday's talks on Ukraine in Oslo as "productive," saying progress had been made.
"There is substantial groundwork in place to move toward ending the conflict in Ukraine," he said.
Witkoff also thanked Putin on behalf of Trump for the agreement on diesel fuel supplies.
The US envoy expressed hope that Putin would consider resuming trilateral negotiations involving Russia, the US and Ukraine, where technical issues could be discussed.
Russia has released 73-year-old American citizen Stefan Hubbard, who was imprisoned in Russia for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, Witkoff said.
Witkoff added he had met Hubbard's son, a church pastor, several days earlier. Hubbard's son had also thanked Putin for releasing his father.
"I would like to thank you on behalf of our president, and I thank you on behalf of the US. I do so because the Russian Federation has released Stefan Hubbard," he said.
Hubbard was sentenced by the Moscow City Court on Oct. 7, 2024, to six years and 10 months in a penal colony after being convicted of participating in hostilities alongside the Ukrainian armed forces.
According to Russian court proceedings, Hubbard pleaded guilty to the charges. His time in pretrial detention since April 2022 was credited toward his sentence.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had asked Putin to release Hubbard.
"I spoke with President Putin about Hubbard. I spoke with him at length, and I asked him to let him go. We'll see what happens," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I would like him to come back. It's time to bring Mr. Hubbard back."