US Envoy Witkoff to Meet Putin After Oslo Talks With Zelenskyy
A US official says the Oslo talks made 'meaningful progress' toward engaging Russia, as Nato reinforces the Black Sea
By AXY War & Crime Desk ·
Key points
- US envoy Steve Witkoff is due to meet Vladimir Putin on Wednesday after Oslo talks with Zelenskyy.
- A US official said the talks made 'meaningful progress' toward a coordinated approach to engaging Russia.
- Reports say Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of Starshield, a service Ukraine uses for drone operations, though the White House, Pentagon and Musk have disputed or not confirmed who made the decision.
- Nato is sending more aircraft, drones and radar to the Black Sea after attacks on ships near Romania and Bulgaria.
- Russia says its strikes on ports and logistics hubs targeted military assets, a claim the source does not independently confirm.
US envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, following a round of talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that a US official described as "constructive." The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Norway talks made "meaningful progress" toward a coordinated way of bringing Russia into negotiations. The update arrived on day 1,701 of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
The Oslo meeting also involved the leaders of Norway and Finland, along with European and Nato representatives. For Kyiv, the stakes are direct: any diplomatic path that might end the fighting would have to address security, reconstruction and the country's place in Europe. For people living under air raids and drone attacks, a negotiated end to the war would change daily life more than any diplomatic document could.
What was discussed in Oslo
The US official said Ukraine brought "new ideas and proposals" to the talks. The discussions covered what the official called "key elements of a comprehensive peace framework." Those elements include security guarantees for Ukraine, a plan for the economy after the war, and a wider European security structure.
The official said Witkoff would aim to "create a pathway toward direct trilateral and broader multilateral negotiations." The source does not name the three parties in a trilateral format. In diplomatic usage, the term usually refers to the United States, Ukraine and Russia sitting at the same table. Broader multilateral talks would bring in more countries, likely including European governments. Any such format would still depend on Moscow agreeing to take part, and Russia has not yet publicly responded to the Oslo outcome in the material available.
Zelenskyy said he had discussed "Article 5-like" security guarantees. Article 5 is the core of Nato's founding treaty, under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. Ukraine is not a Nato member, so guarantees of that kind would need to be built outside the alliance. Zelenskyy said he was "thankful to the American side that they underlined again that it will be strong," a remark that suggests Washington reiterated the strength of any commitment, though the source does not spell out what that commitment would be.
A relationship under strain
The Oslo talks come at a difficult moment between Kyiv and Washington. Zelenskyy travelled to Norway seeking to repair relations with the Trump administration, which the source describes as having sunk to new lows. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump told reporters that "Ukraine has to want to settle this war," putting the onus on Kyiv to strike a deal with Russia.
Trump's recent moves toward Moscow have drawn criticism. The source cites a deal to buy Russian diesel and a waiver of new sanctions. A sanctions waiver means that a measure which could have been imposed is set aside. Those steps have prompted bipartisan pushback in the US Congress and concern in European capitals, where governments have been working to keep economic pressure on Russia for years.
For readers, the key question is whether these competing signals are a sign of a shift in US policy or a tactical approach. The source does not settle that question. Analysts would be watching whether further sanctions relief follows the Witkoff meeting, and whether Congress moves to constrain it.
Starshield and the satellite question
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Elon Musk had ordered a slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service, which Ukraine relies on. The report cited US officials and people familiar with the matter. The service is known as Starshield. Ukraine uses it for battlefield communications and drone operations, and the source says the restriction hampered the country's drone missions for both attack and air defence against Russia.
The Pentagon denied directing any change. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday: "We haven't pulled anything back." He added that "Nothing's changed from our view. We haven't made any directives or anything like that." On Friday, Trump said he had not requested any curbs. "It wasn't me. And I don't think it was Elon," he said.
Musk had earlier said that "any limits on speed or usage" of Starshield systems were "decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," a term for the US president. Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The statements so far point in different directions, and the source does not show who made the decision. Why it matters is simple. Drones are a central tool in Ukraine's defence, and a limit on the communications network that guides them can affect both attacks on Russian positions and protection against incoming drones.
Black Sea attacks and Nato's response
Nato said on Tuesday that it was sending more aircraft, drones and radar systems to the Black Sea after a string of attacks on ships near Romania and Bulgaria. A Nato spokesperson, Col Martin O'Donnell, said that "Allies have or will send additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, explosive exploitation teams, intelligence personnel, drones, and more to the Black Sea." He added: "The most important thing we can do, however, is to increase our situational awareness in the region through increased sensors and data sharing."
Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that its forces had struck three cargo vessels in the Ukrainian port of Reni and two other cargo vessels en route to Odesa. It also said Russian forces hit two logistics hubs, one in the Volyn region and one in the city of Khmelnitskiy. The ministry said all of these vessels and hubs were being used for military purposes. That claim has not been independently confirmed in the source material.
The maritime attacks matter beyond the immediate targets. Odesa is one of Ukraine's main Black Sea ports, and shipping through it is a lifeline for the country's exports and imports. Under international humanitarian law, commercial ships and port facilities are civilian objects unless they are being used for military purposes, and attacks must not be directed at civilians or civilian objects. Whether the Russian claims justify these strikes is a question that would require evidence and independent review.
Civilian deaths and the crisis in Oleshky
Russia also carried out what the source describes as another missile and drone attack on civilian areas of Ukraine on Tuesday. Officials said the strikes killed at least nine people. The source does not provide further details on where the deaths occurred or how the figure might change.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that work was under way to ease the humanitarian situation in Oleshky, a town that is under Russian control in southern Ukraine. Residents have reported a worsening food crisis there. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin had discussed the situation in Oleshky with Trump, and that Russia's human rights commissioner was engaged on the issue. The source does not describe the scale of the food shortage or what aid is reaching the town.
The reports above describe attacks and humanitarian conditions. They do not, on their own, establish that any war crime has been committed. That determination requires investigation, and the source does not say that any such inquiry has been opened.
What to watch next
The Witkoff meeting with Putin on Wednesday is the most immediate test. Analysts would be looking at whether it produces any agreement on a format for talks, or whether it stays at the level of preliminary contact. Whether the US pursues further sanctions relief, and how Congress responds, could shape the next stage of the diplomacy.
On the battlefield and at sea, watch for the Nato reinforcements in the Black Sea and whether the attacks on shipping continue. Clarity on who ordered the Starshield slowdown could also matter for Ukraine's drone operations. Finally, the situation in Oleshky will show whether the Kremlin's stated humanitarian efforts reach residents in practice.
Questions and answers
Why is Steve Witkoff meeting Vladimir Putin?
A US official said Witkoff would aim to create a pathway toward direct trilateral and broader multilateral negotiations after talks in Oslo with Zelenskyy. The official described the Oslo talks as constructive and said they made meaningful progress toward a coordinated approach to engaging Russia.
What did the Oslo talks cover?
According to a US official, 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. Norway and Finland's leaders, along with European and Nato representatives, also took part.
What is the Starshield dispute about?
The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink that Ukraine uses for battlefield communications and drone operations. The Pentagon and Trump denied making the decision, and Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Topics: Steve Witkoff, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine war peace talks, Starshield, Nato Black Sea deployment, Oleshky
Sources: The Guardian Ukraine
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