US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, plans to visit Norway this week for a new round of talks on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. He may then travel to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin.
Reuters reported this, citing three people familiar with the matter. The agency’s sources stressed that the travel and meeting plans remain preliminary and may change.
Talks in Oslo
According to two Reuters sources, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to take part in the talks in Norway. He previously said that Ukrainian and US negotiators could meet in Norway in the coming days.
The meetings in Oslo are expected to involve a broader range of participants. They include:
- Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre;
- representatives of the E4 — the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland;
- representatives of the European Union and NATO.
Another source said that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was also expected to join the meeting, had fallen ill and plans to participate remotely.
Possible trip to Moscow
After the talks in Norway, Witkoff plans to visit Russia and meet with Putin. According to two Reuters sources, they are expected to discuss several issues related to Ukraine. The sources did not specify the exact subject of the upcoming conversation.
The release of US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was imprisoned in Russia in 2022, may be a separate topic of the meetings.
Context of Kyiv-Washington relations
The talks are taking place amid tensions between the United States and Ukraine. Kyiv says that the Trump administration ordered a reduction in the operating speed of the Starshield military satellite system, owned by SpaceX.
Ukraine has also reported restrictions on intelligence sharing with the United States and delays in the delivery of missiles for Patriot systems, whose purchase was funded by other countries.
Relations between Kyiv and Washington deteriorated after Trump announced a “diesel” agreement with Putin on October 9, under which Russia would be able to export its fuel. The US president has also repeatedly said that Ukraine needs to hold elections and change its leader.
Zelenskyy believes that if the United States sides with Russia, it would be a “historic mistake.” At the same time, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rejected accusations that Washington supports Russia, but did not say whether the United States considers Ukraine an ally.
