US Special Envoy Witkoff Prepares to Meet Putin

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin following constructive discussions he held with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. This contact comes at a time when US President Donald Trump is pressing Ukraine to end the war.

Leaders of Norway and Finland, as well as European and NATO representatives, also participated in the talks in Oslo. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that Ukraine came to the talks with new ideas and proposals, and that the parties made meaningful progress toward a coordinated approach regarding contact with Russia. The same official expressed that key elements of a comprehensive peace framework, including security guarantees for Ukraine, a post-war economic plan, and a broader European security architecture, were addressed in the discussions.

Zelenskiy went to Oslo seeking to mend recently strained relations with Washington. The Kyiv administration had been complaining that Washington was restricting vital military support and intelligence. Following the meeting in Oslo and a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Zelenskiy announced at a press conference that Ukraine had begun receiving early warnings against Russian missile attacks once again.