Zelenskyy opens Ukraine talks in Oslo with Trump envoy Witkoff
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began talks in Oslo with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, hosted by Norway and Finland. Witkoff is reportedly set to travel on to Moscow to meet Putin.
Archive image · Photo: Ryan Hodnett / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began talks in Oslo on Tuesday with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. Norway and Finland are hosting, with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb taking part. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, was expected to join remotely. Representatives of Britain, France, Germany, Poland, the EU and NATO were also expected, Euronews reported.
Støre said Kyiv had specifically asked for the two U.S. envoys to attend. "The aim is to put diplomatic efforts on a more constructive path," he said. Witkoff is expected to travel from Norway to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to media reports, including on the possible release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American detained in Russia since 2022.
The meeting comes amid rising tension between Kyiv and Washington, with Trump recently accusing Zelenskyy of not wanting to end the war. Beforehand, Zelenskyy spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio about air defense interceptors, early warning of Russian missile attacks and restrictions on Starlink and Starshield. No results from Oslo had been announced.