US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo as tensions between Kyiv and Washington intensify over military support and diplomatic strategy.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Zelensky requested the talks with the US and European allies "at a critical time for Ukraine." Witkoff attended in person while Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner participated by video link. Zelensky brought Ukraine's intelligence chief Rustem Umerov and lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia, both of whom had met with Witkoff and Kushner in Miami earlier this month.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected accusations that the US was withholding intelligence from Ukraine. Zelensky's military adviser Serhii Beskrestnov told the BBC that inconsistent US warnings about ballistic missile launches were costing lives. "Sometimes we receive this information before the attack, another time we do not," Beskrestnov said. Rubio called such claims "scandalous" but acknowledged that Patriot interceptor missiles may not yet have arrived in Ukraine, saying nothing had been "denied intentionally."
Relations between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated sharply. Trump recently said Ukraine needs "a new president" and stated it was time "for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine." Vice President JD Vance told a TV interviewer that while Ukraine is "certainly a partner in some ways," the US has "divergent interests," citing Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Vance noted the US has no formal alliance with Ukraine and said it should not join NATO.
The Miami talks reportedly ended abruptly after Trump announced the US would lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports, a move Zelensky called "a happy birthday present" for Vladimir Putin. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed concern about "mixed pictures and messages" from the US on the war and noted that Europe has been funding Ukrainian defence since the start of 2025 as the US stepped back.
Støre said the Oslo talks aimed to steer relations toward "a more constructive path" and ensure the war ends diplomatically with "a lasting and just peace." It remains unclear whether Witkoff will travel to Russia afterward. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow "greatly appreciate[s] the mediation efforts of the American negotiators" and hoped to meet with Trump's envoy soon.
Russian drone attacks killed at least 10 people in Ukraine on Tuesday, including strikes on a cardiology institute in Kyiv.