Trump's special envoy will meet first with Zelenskiy, then with Putin

US President Donald Trump's special representative Steve Witkoff meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Oslo, the capital of Norway.

After the meeting, Witkoff is planned to go to Russia and sit down with President Vladimir Putin.

WIDE PARTICIPATION TABLE IN NORTHERN EUROPE'S MEDIATION

Zelenskiy and Witkoff personally attend the meeting hosted by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is connected to the negotiations remotely.

Stoere explained the purpose of the meeting as "to direct diplomatic efforts towards a more constructive path." Two American representatives, whose participation Kiev specifically requested, have been conducting peace negotiations on behalf of the USA for some time.

The E4 group, consisting of England, France, Germany and Poland, as well as EU and NATO officials, are also present at the meeting.

Poland's invitation followed Prime Minister Donald Tusk's objections to his country's previous exclusion.

The European Commission also confirmed that it would be represented at the talks in Oslo upon Ukraine's invitation. Zelenskiy, Stubb and Stoere will hold a joint press conference after the talks.

The background of the talks lies in the Trump administration's easing of sanctions against Russia in order to reduce fuel prices in domestic politics.

Rising fuel costs following the United States' ongoing war with Iran are putting a strain on Republicans ahead of upcoming legislative elections.

In addition to lifting restrictions on Russian diesel, Trump also suspended with a blanket exemption the new bipartisan sanctions bill named after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July.

Washington wants Ukraine, which has responded to nearly five years of Russian bombardment, to stop its attacks on Russian oil refineries.

Trump lastly criticized Zelenskiy with harsh words and argued that he should leave office, and said, "Frankly, Russia was very good about Ukraine."

In this process, the Russian army increased its attacks on Ukrainian cities; Most recently, three people lost their lives in a drone attack on a gas station near Kiev.

The Ukrainian administration complains about the cutoff of military and intelligence support that is urgently needed for defense.

Zelenskiy conveyed three main topics in his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio: ballistic missile interceptor systems, early warning intelligence of Russian attacks and the removal of restrictions on the Starlink/Starshield satellite connection.

The Ukrainian side states that SpaceX's military Starshield receivers no longer work when installed on fast-moving unmanned aerial vehicles.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk states that the system is under the control of the US government and the limitations depend on Trump's decision.

Washington denies allegations that it intercepted early warning intelligence or interfered with Starshield. However, the shipment of Patriot missile defense systems, paid for by European countries, is on hold because US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did not approve it.

In his statement to Bloomberg, Zelenskiy announced that he offered to deliver the Patriot missiles they urgently needed in exchange for stopping attacks on Russian energy facilities.

European allies see the defense of Ukraine as an existential issue for continental security and are trying to prevent a rupture between Kiev and Washington.