Steve Witkoff, special envoy to US President Donald Trump, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo on Tuesday before traveling to St Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss peace proposals with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The talks represent a diplomatic shuttle amid rising tension between Washington and Kyiv. Zelensky said intelligence sharing with the US on Russian missile attacks "works now," reversing earlier accusations that Washington had withheld critical early-warning data. A US official described the Oslo meeting as "very productive and constructive," with "strong alignment at the working level" among the US, Ukraine and European representatives. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also participated. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner joined via video link.
Zelensky restated that Ukraine is "ready for negotiations" to end the war, while emphasizing that Russia must respond to proposals discussed in Oslo. He expressed gratitude for restored US intelligence sharing and raised concerns about speed restrictions on SpaceX's Starlink satellite network, which Ukraine's military uses for drone operations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that Patriot air-defense missiles may not yet have arrived in Ukraine but denied any intentional withholding.
Zelensky also said that "strong" security guarantees and energy ceasefire proposals were discussed. Norway's Gahr Støre stressed that Europe "needs to be at the table" in any peace negotiations.
Relations between Trump and Zelensky have deteriorated. Trump has said Ukraine should get a new negotiator and told reporters he wanted Kyiv to "make a deal" and "end this war." Vice-President JD Vance questioned whether Ukraine was a formal US ally and criticized Kyiv's attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin would listen to Witkoff but ruled out "any political concessions." Putin has not publicly commented. Russian drone attacks continued this week, killing at least 12 people across multiple Ukrainian cities, according to officials.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed concern about "mixed pictures and messages" from Washington on the conflict and said Europe must remain engaged in resolving the war.