Witkoff and Zelensky in Oslo as Trump Floats New Negotiator

The Ukraine talks in Oslo gain their American participants on Tuesday, October 20: the Norwegian government confirmed that special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are joining them. For Serbia, a European Union candidate country and a neighbor of the bloc sitting at that table, the outcome matters, because the proposal that emerges from Oslo will shape whether negotiations with Moscow continue and what framework European security moves within.

Who is at the table in Oslo

According to a statement from the Norwegian Prime Minister’s Office, the envoys will be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. A US official said representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland, as well as the European Union and NATO, are also expected.

Witkoff is attending in person, while Kushner will take part remotely: the US official said he has the flu and is avoiding in-person meetings so he does not spread it. The two spoke with Zelensky on Sunday about progress and next steps.

Store said in the Norwegian government’s statement:

Ukraine has asked that US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner join the talks.

The Norwegian prime minister added that the aim of the talks is “to steer diplomatic work toward a more constructive path.”

What is being prepared after Oslo

According to the same US official, the goal is to align a comprehensive proposal that would serve as the basis for renewed negotiations with Russia. After Oslo, Witkoff plans to travel to Russia, where he wants to meet Vladimir Putin and present ideas worked out with Ukraine and European partners.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing in Moscow on Monday that Russia greatly values US mediation. He added that a final settlement requires someone in Kyiv who is ready to take responsibility.

Trump on Zelensky, and a dispute over weapons

Ahead of the meeting itself, relations between Washington and Kyiv have grown more strained. Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on Monday:

Maybe it’s time for Zelensky to find someone else to negotiate.

On the same occasion he said: “If he had listened to me, he would have made a much better deal long ago.” He also mentioned the toll of the war: “A huge number of people have died. They are losing their male population.”

Zelensky gave US senators the other side of the story the same day. In his words, the Trump administration’s decisions are “hard to explain among friends,” and weapons deliveries are running late:

We also know that … the Pentagon is delaying delivery of missiles that our partners have already paid for through the PURL program (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List).

According to his information, one package of missiles is waiting for a signature from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Zelensky also claims that European countries are ready to hand Ukraine Patriot interceptors from their own stocks but are waiting for US approval. The Washington Post reports that the administration has not approved the transfer.

The dispute goes beyond a single day. Earlier this month, Trump called for Zelensky’s removal and branded him a warmonger over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, and on Sunday he claimed on Truth Social that Zelensky does not want the war to end. The decision to have Russia supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the American and world markets, announced on October 9, was condemned by Kyiv, European partners and some American officials, who argued that it rewards Moscow while the war goes on.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, has made plain what kind of counterpart it wants in Kyiv, while Witkoff, by his own plan, goes from Oslo straight to Putin. In Oslo, Zelensky will sit at a table with an envoy whose president publicly questioned his role in the negotiations a day earlier.