BRUSSELS, October 20. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has stepped up diplomatic efforts to restore strained relations with US President Donald Trump, according to the Rapporteur portal.
According to its information, over the past 24 hours Zelensky held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met online with a group of US senators, and spoke with representatives of the defense company Lockheed Martin.
On Tuesday, as part of the negotiations on the Ukrainian conflict in Oslo, Zelensky is to meet with US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has already arrived in Norway. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son·in·law, will join the talks remotely.
According to The Wall Street Journal, relations between Trump and Zelensky soured after a meeting at the UN General Assembly in September, where the American leader demanded explanations about the strikes on Russian oil refineries. According to the WSJ, since that meeting, Washington has asked Kiev to stop the strikes six times, and Trump’s attitude towards Zelensky has been getting worse. On October 10, against the backdrop of Zelensky’s criticism of the Moscow-Washington diesel agreement, Trump said that elections should be held in Ukraine, adding Zelensky could have ended the conflict with Russia many times, but chooses not to. Zelensky refused to hold elections and noted that Kiev is losing an important partner in Washington. According to The Wall Street Journal, the American leader’s statements indicate that relations with Zelensky have deteriorated to their lowest point since last winter.