Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Oslo on Tuesday for negotiations with European leaders and American envoys aimed at halting the war with Russia, amid sharp public disputes between Kyiv and the Trump administration.
The talks in Norway include Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, while special envoy Steve Witkoff represents the United States in person. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was slated to join remotely after falling ill with the flu, according to the New York Post. Støre stated that the Ukrainian government specifically requested the attendance of both American envoys.
Strains with Washington mount
The diplomatic push follows an escalation in verbal attacks from the White House. On Monday, Trump criticized Zelenskyy outside the White House, arguing that the Ukrainian leader should have concluded the conflict long ago. Trump told reporters that Kyiv should consider selecting another representative to negotiate peace and indicated he was willing to sit down directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve the war, CNBC reported.
Relations grew increasingly fraught after Washington eased sanctions on Russian diesel shipments earlier this month, an initiative aimed at cooling domestic fuel prices that surged during the U.S.-led war on Iran. Zelenskyy denounced the sanctions relief as an undeserved reward for Moscow.
Ukrainian officials also raised alarms last week over sudden disruptions in military coordination. Kyiv reported taking Russian ballistic missile strikes without receiving standard advance alerts from American intelligence, while also reporting speed caps on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite system, which Ukrainian forces rely on for drone strikes.
Rubio defends U.S. posture
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attempted to ease tensions during a 45-minute phone call with Zelenskyy on Tuesday, telling reporters during a trip to India that Washington had not intentionally held back aid. Rubio said earlier lapses in warning alerts on Oct. 13 and Oct. 18 were caused by technical glitches rather than a policy shift.
“That’s scandalous, that’s outrageous. That’s just simply not true,” Rubio said of accusations that American officials deliberately withheld intelligence, as reported by the New York Post. Addressing Ukraine’s pleas for additional Patriot missile interceptors, Rubio stated that severe global demand and domestic inventory constraints, rather than political decisions, dictated shipment availability.
Zelenskyy described the discussion with Rubio on social media as substantive and constructive, noting the pair planned to speak again soon, Al Jazeera reported.
Violence persists during diplomacy
The negotiations unfolded against a backdrop of continuing aerial bombardments on both sides. Russian drone strikes on Tuesday killed at least three people and wounded four along a highway between Kyiv and Odesa, according to Ukrainian prosecutors. DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private power provider, reported that damage to three southern energy installations left more than 32,000 households without electricity, Al Jazeera reported.
Inside Russia, a Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil pumping facility in Tambov Oblast, regional Gov. Yevgeny Pervyshov announced.
Following the Oslo meetings, Witkoff is expected to travel to Russia to present a peace proposal to the Kremlin, according to the New York Post. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow welcomed American mediation efforts and hoped to finalize a meeting with Witkoff in the near future.
