Zelensky to meet Witkoff after Trump says Russia has been ‘fine’ on Ukraine

OSLO – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will fly to Oslo to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Oct 20, trying to repair ties with Washington that have deteriorated sharply over the past two weeks as President Donald Trump increasingly courted Moscow.

Trump, who has waived sanctions on Russia in what he says is an effort to lower US fuel prices, has repeatedly rebuked Zelensky. Kyiv says Washington has lately failed to provide early warning notification of Russian missile launches, and has throttled SpaceX satellite links that guide Ukrainian drones.

On Oct 19, Trump said “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine” and “Zelensky is not helping matters much”. He called on Kyiv to find “somebody else to negotiate”.

Zelensky said he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on issues including ballistic missile interceptors, early warning of Russian missile attacks and “the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored”, referring to the SpaceX satellite system.

“Of course, all of this comes against the backdrop of our diplomatic efforts to end this horrific war and the constant killing of people,” Zelensky said in a post on X.

Western European countries consider defending Ukraine from Russia’s invasion to be an existential issue for the continent’s security and have strongly backed Zelensky, seeking to head off a deeper rupture between Washington and Kyiv.

The United States under Trump has already largely stopped providing weapons to Ukraine, but allows European countries to buy them on Kyiv’s behalf and provides intelligence and technology that Europe can’t match.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said the goal of hosting the Oct 20 meetings was “to steer the diplomatic efforts onto a more constructive path”.

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said he would attend meetings with Zelensky and Stoere to discuss “Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and the overall security situation in Europe”.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would attend meetings virtually, Norway said. Witkoff and Kushner have led US negotiating efforts.

Zelensky, Stubb and Stoere will hold a press conference later on Oct 20, Norway said. REUTERS