US envoy Witkoff to meet Putin after talks with Zelenskyy in Norway
US special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday after Oslo talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy that a US official called constructive. Meanwhile, NATO is reinforcing its presence in the Black Sea after attacks on ships.
US envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, following talks in the Norwegian capital Oslo with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy that a US official described as constructive. The talks matter because they sought a coordinated approach to opening peace negotiations with Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine for years.
The official, who spoke to Reuters anonymously, said Ukraine brought new ideas and proposals. The leaders of Norway and Finland attended, along with European and NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) representatives. Participants made meaningful progress on key elements of a comprehensive peace framework: security guarantees for Ukraine, a postwar economic plan and a broader European security architecture. Witkoff's aim is to create a pathway toward direct trilateral and wider multilateral negotiations.
Zelenskyy travelled to Oslo seeking to repair relations with Washington, which the source says have sunk to new lows. Recent gestures by US president Donald Trump toward Moscow, including a deal to buy Russian diesel and a waiver of new sanctions, have prompted bipartisan pushback in Congress and worry in European capitals. On Tuesday Trump urged Ukraine to make a deal, saying Ukraine has to want to settle the war. Zelenskyy said "Article 5-like" security guarantees were discussed, referring to the NATO principle that an attack on one ally is an attack on all.
Starlink restrictions
The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk last week ordered a slowdown of Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service on which Ukraine relies. Ukraine uses it for battlefield communications and drone operations, and the restriction hampered its attack and air defence drone missions. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth denied that the Pentagon had issued any directives, and Trump said he had not requested curbs.
Black Sea and strikes
NATO said it is sending additional aircraft, drones and radar systems to the Black Sea after a string of attacks on ships near Romania and Bulgaria. Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday it struck three cargo vessels in Ukraine's port of Reni, two vessels heading to Odesa and two logistics hubs. Russian missile and drone attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine killed at least nine people on Tuesday. The Kremlin also said it is working to ease the humanitarian situation in the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky.
