Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg, with discussions expected to focus on efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, according to Russian news agencies.

Putin thanked US President Donald Trump for his efforts to resolve the conflict and said Russia was interested in restoring economic relations with the United States.

Numerous people, who requested that sanctions be immediately imposed on Russia, have called to apologize to President Trump in that they didn’t know that he was negotiating the release of Stephen Hubbard, a truly big and important deal for the U.S. If sanctions would have been placed, certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt. ( TS: Oct 21 2026, 6:49 AM ET )​​​​​​​​‍‌​​‌​‌‍​‍‌​‍‌‍‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍​‌‍​​‌‍‌‍‍‍

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 21, 2026

Witkoff said there was a basis for a ceasefire in Ukraine and expressed hope that Putin would agree to resume trilateral negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the US, according to the Interfax and TASS news agencies.

“One thing I hope to achieve today is to have a constructive discussion between us about the possible resumption of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States,” Witkoff told Putin.

“Even if we do not reach a solution today, discussing and exploring what the next step might be would, I think, be important, and the world is waiting to hear that.”

Putin announces release of American prisoner after Trump’s request

During the meeting, Putin told Witkoff that Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher imprisoned in Russia, was at the airport preparing to return to the United States with the envoy.

Witkoff thanked the Russian president for the goodwill gesture, which followed a request made by Trump on Tuesday.

Witkoff to Putin after the release of American Stephen Hubbard: "The first thing I wanna tell you is thank you." "The president sends his thanks, our whole nation sends their thanks." "Because of you, he’s going home to his family." https://t.co/GTuMIxgbZ7

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) October 21, 2026

According to Russian news agencies, Putin said Hubbard was at Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg.

Hubbard had been detained by Russian forces in Ukraine in April 2022 and was subsequently sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison. His family and lawyer in the United States have disputed the allegations against him.

Who is Stephen Hubbard?

A Russian court convicted Hubbard in 2024 of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine, sentencing him to six years and 10 months in prison.

Russian authorities alleged that Hubbard, originally from Michigan, had been paid $1,000 a month to serve in a Ukrainian territorial defence unit in the eastern city of Izium, where he had lived since 2014.

Prosecutors claimed he underwent military training and was provided with weapons and ammunition after allegedly joining the unit in February 2022, shortly before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

He was captured by Russian troops on 2 April that year.

Witkoff thanks Putin for releasing 73-year-old American Steven Hubbard from the Russian prison The 73-year-old Michigan native and former US Air Force serviceman has lived in Izyum, Kharkiv region, since 2014. After Russia’s 2022 invasion, Russian troops seized him from his home in occupied territory. He was accused of mercenary activity and sentenced to 6 years and 10 months. Family and acquaintances say he had no ties to politics or the military during his life in Ukraine. Former Ukrainian POWs who shared a cell with him in a Belgorod region detention center said the elderly American was regularly beaten, tortured with electric current, starved, and abused because of his citizenship. Under that pressure, he was forced to incriminate himself on camera.

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 21, 2026

Russian state media reported that Hubbard had pleaded guilty to the charges. His trial was held behind closed doors.

Hubbard, a retired teacher, grew up in Big Rapids, Michigan, and served in the US Air Force and National Guard, according to military records cited by The New York Times.

He earned a master’s degree in English and spent 25 years living in Japan, where he taught English, before moving to Cyprus and subsequently to Izium in eastern Ukraine in 2014 with a Ukrainian partner, according to his sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox.

Speaking to Reuters in 2024, Fox said her brother had been living on a pension of approximately $300 a month and had little contact with local residents.

The siblings last spoke in September 2021.

Moscow signals interest in restoring economic ties with Washington

The talks in St Petersburg also come as Russia prepares to resume diesel exports to the United States.

Moscow announced that the first tanker carrying 40,000 tonnes of Russian diesel is expected to depart for the US on Thursday, 22 October, marking the beginning of the implementation of an energy agreement between Trump and Putin.

The announcement adds an economic dimension to the renewed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Moscow, as both sides explore the possibility of progress towards a ceasefire in Ukraine.

However, Witkoff’s remarks suggested that an immediate breakthrough was not necessarily expected, with the US envoy emphasising the importance of identifying the next steps towards restarting negotiations.

Zelensky says he is ready for peace

The United States yesterday, October 21, reported significant progress in diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine following talks in Oslo between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump’s envoys, Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Washington described the discussions as “highly productive”, with attention now turning to Witkoff’s meeting with Putin today.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated that he is prepared to support a peace agreement that would halt the war along the existing frontlines, describing the proposal as a practical first step towards ending the conflict.

NEW: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells @kilmeade he would accept a peace deal that freezes the war along the current frontlines, calling it a realistic way to stop the fighting. He says Ukraine would then seek security guarantees from President Trump and European allies to ensure peace and security. "We call it ceasefire or stop killing like President Trump called it. Freeze and stop. And of course this is minimum what we need from Russia today." | @foxandfriends

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 21, 2026

Speaking to Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would seek firm security guarantees from Trump and European partners to prevent renewed hostilities and safeguard the country’s long-term security.

He stressed that an immediate halt to the fighting, without further territorial advances, represented the minimum concession Kyiv expected from Moscow at this stage.