Ukraine war talks have opened in Oslo as President Volodymyr Zelensky meets US special envoy Steve Witkoff amid worsening relations with President Donald Trump’s administration. The discussions bring together Ukrainian, US, Norwegian and Finnish officials at a critical moment, with Kyiv seeking stronger military support and clearer guarantees from Washington.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Zelensky had asked Norway and Finland to help organise the meeting with the United States and European partners. The stated aim is to move diplomatic relations towards a more constructive path and support efforts to achieve a lasting and just peace.
Ukraine war talks focus on intelligence and air defence
Before meeting Witkoff, Zelensky held discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about early warnings, missile interceptors and the future of Starlink communications in Ukraine. Kyiv says reliable intelligence is essential to protecting civilians and military personnel from Russian missile and drone attacks.
Serhii Beskrestnov, a senior Ukrainian military adviser, said inconsistent access to US warnings about incoming attacks had contributed to deaths. Rubio rejected those allegations as “scandalous”, while acknowledging that questions remained about the delivery and availability of Patriot interceptor missiles.
Patriot systems are regarded by Ukrainian officials as among the most effective weapons available against ballistic missiles. Reports that additional interceptors had not yet been approved have added to uncertainty surrounding American support.
Who is attending the Oslo meeting?
Zelensky arrived with intelligence chief Rustem Umerov and senior lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia. Witkoff attended in person, while Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law, joined remotely. Zelensky also met Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb before the main discussions.
- Ukraine is seeking dependable early-warning intelligence.
- Kyiv wants additional missile-defence support.
- Officials are discussing the continued operation of Starlink.
- European governments want closer coordination with Washington.
It remained unclear whether Witkoff would travel to Russia after the Oslo discussions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow valued the mediation efforts of American negotiators and hoped a meeting could be arranged soon.
US-Ukraine relations face growing pressure
Relations between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated in recent weeks. Trump has publicly questioned Ukraine’s leadership and suggested that another representative could negotiate on the country’s behalf. Vice-President JD Vance has also described Ukraine as a partner rather than a formal ally, noting that the two countries do not share identical interests.
The disagreement has extended to attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. US officials have criticised Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities, linking them to higher fuel prices in the United States. Ukraine, meanwhile, argues that pressure on Russia’s energy network is part of its broader effort to limit Moscow’s ability to finance the war.
European leaders are watching the dispute closely. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the United States had sent mixed messages about the conflict and stressed that European countries were carrying a substantial financial and defence burden.
Russian drone strikes kill civilians across Ukraine
While the diplomatic discussions continued, Russian drone attacks were reported across Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said at least 10 people had been killed in strikes affecting Kyiv and the surrounding region, Donetsk and the central city of Dnipro.
In Kyiv, an operating room at a cardiology institute was reportedly hit, injuring a patient. The incident followed an earlier attack near a park café in the Kharkiv region that killed a toddler, an 11-year-old girl and four other people. Fourteen others were injured in that strike.
Zelensky condemned the Kharkiv attack as an absolute atrocity. The continuing strikes underline the urgency of the Oslo meeting, where discussions about diplomacy are taking place alongside an immediate humanitarian and security crisis.
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What happens next in the Ukraine war talks?
The immediate outcome of the Oslo meeting may depend on whether Washington and Kyiv can rebuild confidence over intelligence-sharing, air-defence supplies and diplomatic coordination. European governments are likely to press for a united approach, while Russia’s continued attacks could increase pressure for urgent negotiations.
Key takeaway: The Ukraine war talks in Oslo are taking place amid a dangerous combination of strained US-Ukraine relations, uncertainty over military assistance and intensifying Russian attacks. A durable peace will require sustained diplomatic engagement as well as protection for civilians on the ground.
