Oslo to Host Ukraine Talks as US Envoy Witkoff Arrives and Rubio Denies Withholding Intelligence
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Norway for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky amid worsening ties between Kyiv and Washington. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected claims that the US is withholding intelligence from Ukraine.
Talks are due in Oslo between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and representatives of European allies. Witkoff has already arrived in Norway. The meeting comes as relations between the Ukrainian leader and US President Donald Trump have deteriorated in recent weeks. The aim is to seek a diplomatic route to ending Russia's war in Ukraine.
Why Oslo
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Zelensky asked Norway and neighbouring Finland to organise a meeting with the US and European allies "at a critical time for Ukraine". Støre said the goal is to steer relations onto "a more constructive path" and to secure a lasting and just peace.
Trump has recently said it is time for Ukraine to have a new president and, more recently, that somebody else should negotiate on Ukraine's behalf.
Dispute over intelligence
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently visiting India, called the accusations "scandalous" and "outrageous". They followed remarks to the BBC by Zelensky's military technical adviser, Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, who said a lack of reliable US warnings was costing lives. "This looks very strange," he said, adding that information sometimes arrives before an attack and sometimes does not.
Zelensky said he had a constructive discussion with Rubio about the need for US early warnings, missile interceptors and SpaceX's Starlink internet network. Last week a bipartisan group of US senators called for an urgent investigation into Starlink disruptions in Ukraine. Rubio admitted Patriot interceptor missiles may not yet have reached Ukraine, but said nothing had been denied to Kyiv intentionally.
Participants and Russia's position
Witkoff is expected to be joined by video link by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as Finnish President Alexander Stubb and officials from the UK, Poland, France, Germany, the EU and Nato. It is unclear whether Witkoff will continue to Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped for a meeting soon and praised the US mediation efforts.
After a phone call this month between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump announced that Moscow would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and other markets, ending US sanctions on Russian diesel exports. Zelensky called it "a happy birthday present for Putin".
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke of "mixed pictures and messages" and noted that since the start of 2025 Europe and other countries, not the US, have borne the cost of Ukraine's defence. US Vice-President JD Vance said there is no formal alliance with Ukraine, which is not in Nato.
