WASHINGTON/OSLO - U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Oct. 21, after talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, as President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Kyiv to reach a settlement with Russia.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Witkoff would meet Russian leaders and relay proposals developed by Ukraine, Europe and the United States, potentially paving the way for a leaders-level meeting. The Oslo discussions on Tuesday also included Finnish President Alexander Stubb and representatives of European governments and NATO, according to reports by Reuters and The Associated Press.
A U.S. official described the Oslo meeting as constructive and said the participants made significant progress. The talks covered security guarantees for Ukraine, a postwar economic plan and the broader European security framework.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv was seeking guarantees comparable to NATO’s Article 5 collective-defense commitment. He also said U.S. early-warning intelligence about Russian missile launches had resumed after a call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Ukrainian president also raised deliveries of Patriot air-defense interceptors and access to the Starlink satellite network. Rubio said U.S. policy toward Ukraine had not changed, although European-funded deliveries could face delays because of pressure on American stocks.
Trump urged Ukraine to accept a settlement, arguing that Moscow was interested in an agreement and held an advantage on the battlefield. No ceasefire or leaders’ summit had been agreed by the end of the Oslo talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Witkoff could brief Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukrainian and European position. The St. Petersburg visit is expected to test whether Moscow is prepared to move toward direct trilateral or broader negotiations.
Source: Vesti Baku; additional reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press.