What happened during Witkoff and Kushner’s latest meeting with Putin

US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have wrapped up their latest meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, releasing a retired American teacher from Russian custody.

The meeting took place at the Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg, with Witkoff attending in person and Kushner attending virtually.

The two special envoys have taken a leading role in conflict negotiations under US President Donald Trump, with their last meeting with Putin occurring during a trip to Moscow in September.

The latest talks come as the Trump administration intensifies its efforts to secure a peace deal to end Russia’s nearly five-year-long war against Ukraine.

A US official told Al Jazeera that Witkoff and Kushner proposed a “trilateral meeting at the technical level” that would focus on guaranteeing the security of Ukraine and Russia once the war had ended.

The Ukrainians accepted the meeting when they met with the Americans on Tuesday in Oslo, Norway, and the Kremlin has stated that the new talks with Ukraine and the US may take place in Abu Dhabi and could start as soon as next month.