U.S. Envoy Witkoff Meets Putin After Oslo Talks on Ukraine Peace Framework

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, a day after talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders that a U.S. official described as constructive, the BBC reported.

Ukraine and its European allies said after the Oslo meeting that it was now up to Russia to respond to the proposals agreed there, according to the BBC. Witkoff was met on the runway in St. Petersburg by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, the BBC reported.

The Oslo talks on Tuesday included the leaders of Norway and Finland as well as European and NATO representatives, The Guardian reported, citing Reuters. A U.S. official, speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said Ukraine brought new ideas and proposals and that participants made "meaningful progress" toward a coordinated approach to engaging Russia.

The official said the talks covered "key elements of a comprehensive peace framework," including security guarantees for Ukraine, a postwar economic plan and a broader European security architecture, according to The Guardian. Witkoff would aim to "create a pathway toward direct trilateral and broader multilateral negotiations," the official said.

Another U.S. official later described the meeting as "very productive and constructive" and said there was "strong alignment at the working level" among the United States, Ukraine and Europe on next steps, the BBC reported. Witkoff did not attend the joint news conference after the talks, nor did Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, who had joined by video link, according to the BBC.

Zelensky said he had discussed "Article 5-like" security guarantees, a reference to the NATO provision under which an attack on one ally is treated as an attack on all, The Guardian reported. "I am thankful to the American side that they underlined again that it will be strong," he said. He also said energy ceasefire proposals were discussed and that Kyiv was "ready for negotiations," according to the BBC.

"Of course, we are not losing this war, but we are losing people because Russia attacks," Zelensky said.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said "genuine progress" had been made but gave no details and warned that patience would be needed, the BBC reported. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Europe needed "to be at the table" in any discussions on ending the fighting.

Putin had not commented publicly on the latest developments as of Wednesday morning. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin would listen to what Witkoff offers while ruling out "any political concessions," according to the BBC.

Trump on Tuesday again urged Ukraine to reach an agreement. "Ukraine has to want to settle this war," he told reporters, according to The Guardian. Speaking at the White House after the Oslo news conference, Trump said Russia would like to "get it done" and that it was "time for Ukraine to end this war," the BBC reported.

Zelensky traveled to Oslo seeking to repair relations with Washington, The Guardian reported. Trump's recent gestures toward Moscow, including a deal to buy Russian diesel and a waiver of new sanctions, have drawn bipartisan criticism in Congress and concern in European capitals, according to The Guardian. The BBC reported that Trump has said it is time for Ukraine to get a new president and, more recently, "for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine."

Kyiv had accused the United States of withholding intelligence about incoming Russian strikes, a claim Washington called "scandalous," the BBC reported. After Tuesday's talks, Zelensky said he was "thankful that intelligence works now," referring to early warnings of ballistic missile attacks.

Zelensky also said he hoped for a good outcome on Starlink after Ukraine's military reported speed restrictions on drones that use the satellite network. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of the military-grade service, known as Starshield, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter, according to The Guardian. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon had not directed any changes. "We haven't pulled anything back," he said. Musk has said that "any limits on speed or usage" were "decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," The Guardian reported.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it may be true that Patriot interceptor missiles had not yet arrived in Ukraine but that nothing had been intentionally denied to Kyiv, the BBC reported.

Russian attacks continued during the talks. Ukrainian officials said at least 10 people were killed Tuesday, four in Kyiv and the capital region, four in the eastern Donetsk region and two in Dnipro, and an overnight attack killed two more people near Kharkiv, according to the BBC. Russia's defense ministry said Tuesday that its forces struck three cargo vessels in the Ukrainian port of Reni and two more headed to Odesa, saying they were being used for military purposes, The Guardian reported.

NATO said it was sending additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, drones and intelligence personnel to the Black Sea after a series of attacks on ships near Romania and Bulgaria, according to The Guardian.

Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, the BBC reported.