Witkoff Putin Meeting Set After Constructive Ukraine Talks in Oslo

OSLO/KYIV/WASHINGTON – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – Witkoff Putin meeting is set for Wednesday, as US envoy Steve Witkoff prepares to sit down with the Russian leader. The trip follows what a US official described as constructive talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Norway.

The Oslo meeting also included leaders from Norway and Finland, along with European and NATO representatives. The US official said Ukraine brought new ideas and proposals to the table.

According to the official, the group made meaningful progress toward a shared plan for dealing with Russia. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.

The talks covered the main parts of a wider peace framework. These included security guarantees for Ukraine, a post-war economic plan and a stronger security setup for Europe.

Witkoff will try to open a path toward direct talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States. He will also look at wider talks involving more countries.

Zelenskiy went to Oslo hoping to repair ties with Washington. Relations have fallen to a new low as President Donald Trump has reached out to Moscow. Kyiv has also complained that the US held back military help and intelligence.

After the meeting, Zelenskiy spoke to reporters. He had also held a phone call earlier with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

He said Ukraine is again getting early warnings about Russian missile attacks. “Now it works, it’s great,” he said.

He added that he and Rubio talked about Patriot missile interceptors and the Starlink satellite system. Kyiv had said Starlink stopped working on fast-moving objects such as drones.

Zelenskiy also said the sides discussed security guarantees similar to NATO’s Article 5, which treats an attack on one ally as an attack on all. He said the US side stressed that these guarantees will be strong.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he believes the peace process is back on track. Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere called the meeting good and constructive.

Trump, however, kept the pressure on Kyiv. On Tuesday he said Ukraine has to want to settle the war. He also said Russia has the upper hand because it keeps grinding forward and has taken a large area of land.

The tension began about ten days ago. Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel in a deal with Putin, saying it would ease high fuel prices before the November 3 midterm elections. Over the weekend, he also waived tougher sanctions that were due to start this week. Both moves caused concern in Congress and across Europe.

Washington denies that it is deliberately hurting Ukraine. Rubio said there was no political order to harm Ukraine, though he admitted that a batch of interceptors bought by European countries may not have arrived.

Under a programme called PURL, European nations buy US weapons for Ukraine. A source said most deliveries continue, but Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has not approved Ukraine’s latest request for Patriot interceptors.

Hegseth said US policy has not changed. He added that America must keep enough stock for its own forces. On Starlink, he suggested the issue was linked to company terms of service.

Reports said Elon Musk ordered the Starlink slowdown after talking with Trump and other officials. Reuters earlier reported that the order came from the White House.

On the ground, the war is getting harder for civilians. Russia struck energy sites in seven regions overnight, causing power cuts, including areas in the west that were mostly spared before. An energy facility in Kyiv was also hit, leaving four districts without electricity.

Russia also said it hit cargo vessels near the ports of Reni and Odesa. Ukraine paused strikes on Russian oil refineries for several days at Trump’s request, but resumed them when Russia did not follow.

All eyes now turn to the Witkoff Putin meeting and whether it can open the door to real peace talks.