Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was due on Tuesday in Oslo to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff, trying to repair ties with Washington that have deteriorated this month as President Donald Trump has courted Moscow.
Trump, who has waived sanctions on Russia in what he says is an effort to lower US fuel prices, has repeatedly rebuked Zelenskiy and called for him to be replaced.
Kyiv says that Washington has lately failed to provide early warning of Russian missile launches, throttled SpaceX’s Starshield satellite links that guide Ukrainian drones, and failed to deliver air defences paid for by European allies.
In the latest comments expressing warmth towards Moscow and coldness towards Kyiv, Trump said on Monday: “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine.” Zelenskiy was “not helping matters much” and Kyiv should find “somebody else to negotiate” an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
As relations between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated, Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian cities. Both sides have attacked each other’s energy systems and data centres, although Ukraine held back for several days on hitting Russian oil refineries at Trump’s behest while Moscow showed no sign of limiting strikes.
Ukraine says the Russian strikes have become even deadlier because of the absence of US technology needed to fend them off.
In the latest attacks, Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone struck near a petrol station on a highway heading south out of the capital, killing three people and setting cars ablaze.
Footage released by Ukraine’s emergency services showed firefighters battling a huge blaze, surrounded by twisted wreckage in the nighttime darkness.
ZELENSKIY SPEAKS TO RUBIO
Zelenskiy said he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio about issues including ballistic missile interceptors, early warning of Russian attacks and “the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored”.
“Of course, all of this comes against the backdrop of our diplomatic efforts to end this horrific war and the constant killing of people,” Zelenskiy said in a post on X.
The deterioration of relations began 10 days ago when Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel to help lower prices. High fuel costs since he launched strikes on Iran have hurt his Republicans ahead of legislative elections next month.
Trump has since repeatedly berated Zelenskiy over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, which Kyiv says are one of its few ways of fighting back after nearly five years of intensive Russian bombardment.
Trump later issued a broad waiver for tougher sanctions on Russia that were meant to have begun this week under a new bipartisan law named for late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally and staunch supporter of Ukraine who died in July.
Washington denies withholding intelligence from Kyiv or imposing curbs on Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink communications system.
Kyiv says the system’s receptors no longer work when mounted on fast-moving objects such as its drones. SpaceX boss Elon Musk has said Starshield is controlled by the US government and any limits on its use are ultimately up to Trump.
Western European countries consider defending Ukraine from Russia’s invasion to be an existential issue for the continent’s security and have strongly backed Zelenskiy, 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 Tuesday’s meetings was “to steer the diplomatic efforts onto a more constructive path”.
Finland is co-hosting Tuesday’s talks, and its President Alexander Stubb said he would attend meetings with Zelenskiy 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 was expected to attend meetings virtually, Norway said. Witkoff and Kushner have led US negotiating efforts.
Zelenskiy, Stubb and Stoere will hold a press conference later on Tuesday, Norway said.