Saint Petersburg: Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Saint Petersburg early Wednesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as "positive" talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The visit by US President Donald Trump's special envoy is part of Washington's efforts to ease tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy over the war with Russia.

After meeting Witkoff in Oslo, Zelenskyy thanked the United States on Tuesday for resuming intelligence sharing on Russian strikes. The positive exchange followed days of friction between Kyiv and Washington after Trump struck a diesel-supply deal with Putin and called for Zelenskyy to be replaced after Ukraine refused to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries.

"We are thankful that intelligence works," Zelenskyy told reporters in Oslo, describing the early warnings as "very, very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians" when ballistic missiles were about to strike.

Speaking during a visit to India, Rubio said Witkoff would travel to Russia after his "positive" discussions with Zelenskyy.

"He'll now, armed with those ideas, be able to go to Saint Petersburg and share them with the Russian side -- and let's see if we can make some progress," Rubio said.

Witkoff's planned meeting with Putin on Wednesday will also involve Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is expected to participate virtually, a US official told AFP.

News agencies reported that Witkoff was received at Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg by Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin's adviser for international economic cooperation.

Trump urges Ukraine to 'make a deal'

Trump said on Tuesday that he had asked Putin to release Stephen Hubbard, an American who was captured by Russian forces in Ukraine several years ago. However, it remained unclear whether the issue would be discussed during Wednesday's meeting.

"I've been talking to him at length. I've asked him to release him. Let's see what happens," Trump told journalists in Washington.

Trump has continued to press Ukraine to reach an agreement with Russia, which has intensified its attacks as the region prepares for a harsh winter. Speaking at the White House, he said he wanted Zelenskyy to "make a deal" with Moscow.

Last week, Trump called on Zelenskyy to resign and criticised him for rejecting terms that Trump claimed to have offered during a televised confrontation in the Oval Office in February 2025.

Ukraine was also dismayed by Trump's decision to waive sanctions against Russia's war machine.

The dispute escalated after Zelenskyy accused Trump of weakness and alleged that Washington was deliberately withholding crucial intelligence and delaying the delivery of interceptor missiles.

Ukraine has also reported slower speeds on Starshield, the US military satellite system it uses for battlefield communications and strikes on Russian-occupied territory.

Trump denied ordering a reduction in Starshield speeds after Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX developed the system, said such a decision could only have come from the White House.

Rubio said on Wednesday that Washington had not been aware of the slowdown in SpaceX's satellite communications.

"The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk," Rubio said in Mumbai.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Musk had, in fact, ordered the slowdown in the military-grade version of Starlink.

Zelenskyy insists Ukraine must be involved

Witkoff's visit comes amid intense diplomatic efforts in Washington, Kyiv and other Western capitals to defuse the dispute.

Zelenskyy told US senators on Monday that "the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles" that European countries had already paid for, with the shipment awaiting the approval of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

According to Zelenskyy, several European countries were prepared to transfer Patriot interceptor missiles from their own stockpiles but were waiting for Washington's approval.

Trump, whose Republican Party faces challenging midterm elections amid rising fuel prices, has accused Zelensky of failing to make sufficient efforts to end the conflict.

The US president also said he was willing to meet Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next month to discuss denuclearisation. He added that the talks could also address the war in Ukraine, raising concerns in Kyiv that Ukraine could be excluded from discussions about its future.

Zelenskyy insisted on Tuesday that Ukraine must have a seat at the negotiating table whenever its future is discussed.

"If there are issues about Ukraine, our future, it can be acceptable only when we are at the table of negotiations," he said. (AFP)