Zelensky arrives in Oslo for talks with US envoys as Trump pushes to sideline him and eases pressure on Russia

Zelensky is heading to Oslo. He is set to hold talks there with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and European leaders on Tuesday. Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre said Zelensky requested the meeting at a critical time for Ukraine.

Kushner is ill. He will participate by video-link. Finnish President Alexander Stubb is joining, along with officials from the UK, Poland, France, Germany, the EU, and NATO, as the talks aim to steer relations toward a more constructive path. Witkoff and Kushner last met Ukrainian officials in Miami. Whether Witkoff will travel on to Russia after Oslo remains unclear.

Trump says it is time for somebody else to negotiate

Trump has said it is time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine, and previously called for a new president in Kyiv, deepening the public quarrel between the two leaders. He told reporters outside the White House Monday: “Zelenskyy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” He added that if Zelenskyy had listened to him, “he would have made a much better deal a long time ago, and he’d have a million people living from his side.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Zelenskyy to be “very careful about making statements like this that aren’t true.” On Truth Social Sunday, Trump wrote that Zelenskyy “doesn’t care” and “doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did.”

Intelligence warnings and the Sunday barrage

For years, the US warned Ukraine before Russia launched ballistic missiles, giving authorities several minutes to sound alarms. Ukraine received no US warning before a Russian missile attack hit Kyiv power plants on Sunday evening at about 11pm. Russia fired 16 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region, killing a 21-year-old woman in the capital, and the barrage hit 28 substations and critical energy facilities, depriving more than 500,000 people of electricity, heat, and running water. Ukraine was not warned on at least three days in the past week before missiles were launched, though it did receive a warning before a subsequent strike at 3am, per air force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat.

Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, a Zelensky adviser, told the BBC that the lack of reliable US warnings meant lives were being lost. “Sometimes we receive this information before the attack, another time we [do] not,” he said. Rubio called accusations that Ukrainians were dying because the US was withholding intelligence “scandalous” and “outrageous,” saying a few nights ago there was a software problem involving their early warning system. US officials had not previously mentioned a software glitch, and in at least one case Ukrainians were told that bad weather over southern Russia had obscured launch preparations. Rubio said European Command was investigating the strikes and denied the US is withholding intelligence from Kyiv.

Sanctions relief and the diesel deal

Trump has eased pressure on Russia, waiving sanctions on Russian diesel exports. After his call with Putin, Trump announced Moscow would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and other markets. Zelensky called the waiving a reward for Putin — “a happy birthday present for Putin.” On Friday, Trump waived a broader sanctions package, telling Congress the pause was in the national interest. The legislation, named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, passed both chambers. Trump wrote that he is negotiating peace and doesn’t want to “foolishly” drive Russia from the bargaining table. He has blamed Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries for high energy prices, which have surged amid the US-led conflict on Iran. The administration reportedly threatened Kyiv with slowed weapons deliveries unless it stopped striking the refineries. “When the supply of missiles for Ukrainian air defence is blocked, and Russia receives sanctions relief or delays, it is, unfortunately, a denial of reality on the part of our partners,” Zelensky said.

Starlink, Patriots, and the European burden

SpaceX’s Starlink or Starshield satellite internet service has faced disruptions in Ukraine. Elon Musk shifted blame for the slowdowns to the US government and Trump, who said Monday he doesn’t know who restricted the service “but I’d like to find out.” A bipartisan group of US senators called for an urgent investigation last week. Patriot missile interceptor deliveries have been delayed or not yet approved. Rubio admitted it may be true the interceptors had not arrived, though nothing was denied intentionally. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke of “mixed pictures and messages” from the US, noting the US has not paid for Ukraine’s defence since the start of 2025. Vice-President JD Vance said Ukraine is not a formal US ally, not in NATO, and should not be in NATO. He said they should stop bombing Russian energy.

Escalation on the ground

Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia on Sunday, one of its largest aerial attacks of the war. On Tuesday, a Russian drone struck the Kyiv-Odesa highway, killing three and injuring four. More than 32,000 families lost electricity after DTEK confirmed three energy facilities in Odesa were hit. Drone strikes on a public park in Nova Vodolaha, Kharkiv region, killed six including three children; seven children were among 14 wounded. Governor Oleg Synegubov condemned the strike as “another terrorist act by the Russian Federation.” In Russia’s Tambov Oblast, the governor reported a fire at an oil pumping station after an overnight Ukrainian drone attack; four drones were intercepted.

Pope and Kremlin

Pope Leo XIV spoke by phone with Zelensky on Monday about Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region, where residents face shortages of food and medication amid crossfire between Russian and Ukrainian troops. He told Zelensky he asked Putin for a humanitarian ceasefire Friday. The Kremlin said it explained to Pope Leo what it called “the Kyiv regime’s responsibility for the difficult humanitarian situation.” Peskov said Russia appreciates the mediation efforts of American negotiators. Putin and Trump discussed the war by phone earlier this month. Trump said he would consider a trilateral meeting with Russia and China on ending the war and denuclearisation.