Putin tells Witkoff he is ready to resume direct peace talks, Russia releases U.S. detainee (axios.com)

Russian President Vladimir Putin told White House envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday that he "agrees in principle" resuming trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. to end the war, the Kremlin said. Why it matters: The White House hopes Putin will show more willingness to compromise after President Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Russian diesel sales and took other steps welcomed by Moscow. For now, it seems the only concession Putin agreed to is to negotiate. Driving the news: During a three-hour meeting in St. Petersburg, Witkoff presented Putin with an updated proposal to end the war in Ukraine . Trump envoy Jared Kushner joined virtually. Before the meeting, Russia released U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard, 74, who had spent more than four years in captivity after being seized by Russian troops in eastern Ukraine in April 2022. Putin announced his release at the top of the meeting with Witkoff. "He is at Pulkovo Airport," Putin told Witkoff in front of the cameras. Witkoff in response thanked Putin and called him "a humanitarian." Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) expressed outrage at Witkoff's comment. "WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of 'humanitarian'. What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say," Tillis wrote on X. Cornyn wrote : "No. Putin is stone cold killer." "Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family. The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return - an unprecedented situation for Russia. There was no 'swap' necessary for this release," Trump wrote on Truth Social. State of play: Witkoff arrived in Russia after a day of talks in Oslo , Norway, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the leaders of Norway and Finland and representatives from France, the U.K., Germany, Poland, the EU and NATO. Zelensky said Tuesday that the next step should be a trilateral meeting between him, Putin and Trump — a format Russia has so far rejected. The discussions in Oslo focused on developing a unified proposal for a "framework agreement" to end the war. What he's saying: "I believe the talks [in Oslo] were productive, and I would like to say that there is progress, and I will update you on this. I hope that we have truly laid the groundwork for a successful end to hostilities in this Ukrainian-Russian conflict," Witkoff told Putin. Witkoff asked Putin to "consider resuming trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, where we could discuss the next steps toward achieving a settlement." Witkoff said the talks could include representatives of technical groups of specialists who could discuss these issues in detail. "We have brought several documents outlining approaches to achieving a peaceful settlement in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. I would ask you, Mr. President, to review these documents a little later," Witkoff said. The other side: After the meeting, Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushako