Russia says Ukraine must make “necessary decisions” to end war as Witkoff meets Putin

October 21, 2026 / 8:19 AM EDT / CBS/AFP

Progress toward a negotiated resolution to Russia's war on Ukraine is "theoretically possible," Kremlin officials said Wednesday as U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, but any headway will require Ukraine's leaders to make "necessary decisions," according to Russian state media.

If Ukraine fails to make those decisions, the situation for the country "will be worse," the officials said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying Moscow would study proposals on the Ukraine war brought to St. Petersburg by Witkoff, but that the talks would take a long time.

During Witkoff's meeting with Putin, he and the Russian leader confirmed that Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen jailed in Russia for more than four years, had been released from custody. President Trump said Putin agreed to free the American with "no 'swap' necessary," but he also said it wouldn't have happened had the U.S. not prevented new sanctions against Moscow from taking effect last week.

State media said Russian officials told Witkoff on Wednesday that a meeting between Mr. Trump, Putin and Chinese President…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/