The meeting between Zelenskyj and Witkoff has begun in Oslo
The president of Ukraine meets with the US envoy and Nordic leaders to discuss the further development of the war.
Quick Look
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Oslo for meetings with US envoy Steve Witkoff as well as Norwegian and Finnish leaders.
- The focus is on military support, particularly Patriot robots, and negotiations to pause attacks on energy infrastructure.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Ukraine seeks military support and diplomatic solutions to deal with Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
Volodymyr Zelenskyi's plane landed at 12.30 on Norwegian soil, according to VG. During the day, the President of Ukraine has talks with the US envoy Steve Witkoff. His colleague Jared Kushner is on the link, due to a cold.
The meeting began just before 4 pm at the Grand Hotel in Oslo. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb are also present.
The Kyiv Post writes that Ukraine has two priorities: to influence the proposals that Washington presents to Moscow and to secure the military support that Ukraine needs, while the diplomatic talks continue.
The US is expected to demand that Ukraine stop striking Russia's energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy has responded by saying that Ukraine can pause its attacks on the energy infrastructure if the US supplies more Patriot robots to the country's air defense. Ukraine's shortage has come after Russia has stepped up its attacks with ballistic robots and jet-powered drones.
But it is not certain that the US has the ability to deliver Patriot robots. According to American media, the country has a shortage of robots after the war in Iran.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has already shown compliance by pausing attacks on energy infrastructure for several days. However, Putin has not agreed to a mutual offensive pause and has continued his attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
The US demand comes after President Trump agreed with Putin that Russia should supply four million tons of diesel. However, the Kremlin probably does not have the opportunity to deliver the diesel because 45 percent of the country's refineries have been destroyed in Ukrainian attacks, SEB chief analyst in Oslo Bjarne Schieldrop in an interview with SvD.
Before Zelenskyy arrived at the Grand Hotel, he also met with King Haakon in the Royal Palace at 1 p.m. There, the Ukrainian president raised the issue of the abducted children from his country - who in some cases have been placed in re-education camps in Russia.
"We talked about getting back the Ukrainian children that Russia has kidnapped. We have to get every single Ukrainian child home," writes Zelensky on X.
When all the main participants were in place in the Grand Hotel, Zelenskyj and Witkoff hugged in front of the cameras.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Continued diplomatic talks on arms deliveries.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will the US be able to deliver Patriot robots?
- Will Russia accept a mutual pause in energy attacks?
