Trump and Zelensky Remain at Odds Despite Oslo Talks
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo, but events of recent days point to a deep rift between Kyiv and Washington. After the talks Zelensky voiced optimism on early warnings, Patriot missiles and Starlink.
Steve Witkoff, an envoy of US President Donald Trump, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. The meeting came at a time of unusually strained relations between the two countries, which could affect both Ukraine's defensive capabilities and the course of peace efforts with Russia.
Zelensky posted a video on social media showing Witkoff hugging him, adding that Ukraine is working for peace. Yet the past ten days have brought sharp exchanges between the two leaders. Trump told the broadcaster Newsmax that Zelensky is not a good person to deal with, and on Monday said he "doesn't know what he's talking about". Zelensky wrote on Telegram that Ukraine has welcomed every attempt by its partners to end the war with dignity.
What escalated the situation
Earlier this month, as Ukrainian negotiators arrived in Miami, they learned that Trump had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to open US markets to Russian diesel. Last Friday Trump also waived wide-ranging sanctions on Russia two days before they were due to take effect, saying they would hinder peace efforts. Kirill Dmitriev, a senior envoy of Putin, called it "an important and truly historic moment".
Kyiv says it received no advance warning from US satellite intelligence during ballistic missile attacks for three days, and reports that Starlink internet service has been throttled. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that intelligence sharing was paused and blamed a software problem. Reuters reported that the Starlink restriction came from the White House, while Rubio said no one there ordered a slowdown. US officials have not confirmed the allegations. The Washington Post, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official, reported that only a couple of Patriot interceptor missiles remain in Ukraine.
Outcome of the talks
After the meeting, Witkoff will take updated proposals to St Petersburg. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the talks had helped "straighten out a few things". Zelensky said the early-warning issue had already been fixed and that he expects good results on Patriot missiles and Starlink as well.
