US Envoy Witkoff Meets Zelensky, European Leaders for Peace Talks

Talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff began in Oslo on Tuesday.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb also attended the meeting. Zelensky arrived in Oslo on Tuesday for talks with Norwegian officials and negotiations with US presidential envoys and European representatives aimed at ending the war. Zelensky stated he would hold a separate bilateral meeting with Witkoff, a trilateral meeting with Støre and Stubb, and joint talks with all three officials.

Zelensky also had an audience with King Haakon VIII of Norway and met with the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting. Witkoff plans to travel to Russia after the Oslo talks for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin stated on Tuesday that it hopes Witkoff will brief Putin on his talks with Ukrainian and European leaders in Oslo.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they hope a meeting can be arranged in the very near future to discuss the Ukraine peace process and other very important issues. Peskov stated the Kremlin seeks to continue the exchange of views on a range of very important issues with Witkoff and appreciates the mediation efforts. An unnamed US official told Axios that Witkoff hopes to present ideas developed in close consultation with Ukraine and European partners to Putin.

President Donald Trump has directed an intensive process to develop a comprehensive peace proposal with Ukraine and Europe. The Oslo talks are expected to include representatives of the UK, Germany, France, and Poland, as well as EU and NATO officials. The EU will be represented by Björn Seibert, head of the cabinet of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

NATO will be represented by Lorenz Meyer-Minnemann, deputy chief of staff in the Office of the NATO Secretary General. US envoy Jared Kushner was scheduled to join remotely due to an alleged illness, specifically the flu, according to Axios. The Kyiv-Washington relations have soured as Ukraine accuses the US of using military assistance and access to technology to pressure it to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.