Zelensky arrives in Oslo for talks with US envoy amid strains with Washington

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Oslo on Tuesday for discussions with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, as relations between Kyiv and the Trump administration have come under strain over intelligence-sharing, air-defence supplies and the direction of peace negotiations.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Zelensky had asked Norway and Finland to arrange the meeting with American and European partners at what he called a critical moment for Ukraine. Støre said the goal was to place diplomatic efforts on a more constructive path.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb is taking part in the discussions. Witkoff travelled to Oslo in person, while Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, joined by video link because of illness, according to the Norwegian government. Officials from Britain, Poland, France, Germany, the European Union and Nato were also expected to attend. Zelensky was scheduled to be received by Norway’s king and to visit the country’s parliament.

Intelligence dispute at centre of talks

Zelensky spoke with Witkoff and Kushner by video call on Sunday about the war and the possibility of new negotiations. On Tuesday, he described a “constructive” conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concerning early warnings of Russian attacks, missile interceptors and the restoration of SpaceX satellite services.

Intelligence has become the most contentious issue between the two sides. Zelensky said on Sunday that Washington had briefly paused some intelligence-sharing before restoring it. Rubio, speaking in Uzbekistan on Monday, denied that any pause had taken place.

Zelensky also said Ukraine received no warning before five Russian ballistic missiles struck the Kyiv region. Serhii Beskrestnov, a military technical adviser to Zelensky known as “Flash,” told a British broadcaster that US warnings had been inconsistent, arriving before some Russian attacks but not others. He said those gaps had cost Ukrainian lives.

Rubio rejected the accusation as “scandalous” and “outrageous,” insisting that nothing had been deliberately withheld from Kyiv. He acknowledged that Patriot interceptor missiles may not yet have reached Ukraine but said this did not amount to an intentional refusal of support.

Last week, a bipartisan group of US senators called for an urgent investigation into disruptions to Starlink service in Ukraine.

Tensions with Trump deepen

On Monday, he again called for a new leader in Ukraine and said “somebody else” should negotiate on Kyiv’s behalf; the friction has been reinforced by Trump’s own comments

Relations deteriorated further this month over energy. After a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 9 October, Trump announced that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and one million tons thereafter. The US Treasury subsequently issued a temporary licence allowing Russian diesel into the market.

The announcement came as Ukrainian officials were meeting Witkoff and Kushner in Miami. Zelensky described the arrangement as “a happy birthday present for Putin” and said his team had been used as a smokescreen during the Florida discussions.

Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for high fuel prices in the United States, where prices have climbed since the war on Iran began.

Russia talks remain uncertain

It is not yet known whether Witkoff will travel to Russia after the Oslo meeting. One report suggested he planned to visit Moscow to meet Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hoped a meeting with Trump’s envoy could be arranged soon and praised American mediation efforts.

Russian attacks on Ukraine have continued. A strike on the outskirts of Dnipro on Monday destroyed a family home. Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine was “maintaining all contacts that can help bring peace.”