‘Putin’s request is permanent peace’ — Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff hints at breakthrough in Russia talks

US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to a "permanent peace" deal with Ukraine. This comes after high-level talks in Saint Petersburg aimed at ending the more than three-year conflict.

"Putin's request is to get to have a permanent peace here. So beyond the ceasefire, we got an answer to that," Witkoff said during an interview with Fox News on Monday. "I think we might be on the verge of something that would be very, very important for the world at large."

Third meeting with Putin since January

Witkoff’s remarks follow his third meeting with Putin since President Trump returned to the White House in January. The talks, held on Friday, also involved senior Russian officials Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev.

Witkoff described the latest discussions as a "compelling meeting," underscoring that reaching this point "took a while for us to get to here."

Business ties part of the talks

In addition to political dialogue, Witkoff revealed that commercial interests were part of the negotiation table, suggesting economic incentives could help stabilise the region.

"I believe there's a possibility to reshape the Russian-United States relationship through some very compelling commercial opportunities, that I think give real stability to the region too," he said.

Diplomatic push

Despite the upbeat tone, Trump’s administration has struggled to secure any major concessions from the Kremlin. Last month, Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire.

Disputed ceasefire and Ukrainian claims

The talks occur amid a faltering ceasefire deal. Ukrainian officials reportedly sent Washington a list of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, alleging violations of last month’s truce agreement. While Putin has said he's open to a full ceasefire, he reportedly insisted on major conditions:

• No NATO membership for Ukraine
• Limits on the Ukrainian military
• Russian sovereignty over four contested Ukrainian regions
• Kyiv has firmly rejected these demands.

Future Trump-Putin meeting discussed

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a potential face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin was raised during the talks. While the two leaders have spoken by phone, they have not met in person since Trump’s return to the White House in January.