Russian Invasion The Negotiations

Trump’s Negotiator in Oslo – Set to Speak with Zelenskyy

Donald Trump’s peace negotiator, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo on Tuesday, the Norwegian government stated.

The talks in Norway are expected to focus primarily on the war in Ukraine.

"The goal is to steer diplomatic efforts onto a more constructive path," says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, along with delegations from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Poland, will also be in attendance.

Witkoff and Zelenskyy Arrive for Oslo Talks

Around lunchtime, both Trump’s peace negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Norway ahead of Tuesday’s peace talks, according to Norwegian media. It remains unclear when the meeting will take place or whether Witkoff intends to make a statement.

According to Sky News, Zelenskyy is expected to hold a press briefing later today. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb—who are hosting the meeting—are also likely to make statements.

The meeting comes after the US and Ukraine have clashed several times in a short period. Trump has eased sanctions, signed a diesel deal with Russia, and openly criticized the Ukrainian president.

"This puts immense pressure on Zelenskyy, and as I understand it, the Europeans are now trying to salvage the situation," political scientist Jan Hallenberg tells SVT Nyheter.

Analysis: Risk That Ukraine Could Be Pushed into a Dangerous Agreement

The meeting in Norway between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. peace negotiator Steve Witkoff may be a direct consequence of President Donald Trump’s aggressive statements regarding Ukraine, according to Jette Christensen, a foreign affairs commentator for Norway’s TV2.

She notes that Ukraine has received several pieces of unwelcome news recently—including Trump’s diesel deal with Putin and the easing of sanctions against Russia. Christensen is not surprised that both NATO and the EU have representatives present at the meeting in Oslo.

"Zelenskyy has many reasons to forge closer ties with his allies right now."

Trine Maria Ilsøe, a U.S. correspondent for the Danish broadcaster DR, says that Trump has recently been attempting to pressure Zelenskyy. She points out, for instance, that the American leader has hinted that Ukraine needs a new president.

"It’s as if he’s ratcheting up the rhetoric with each passing day."

Both Ilsøe and Erik Stephansen of the Norwegian newspaper *Dagbladet* see a risk that the U.S. is now listening more to Russia than to Ukraine. "There is undoubtedly a risk that the Ukrainians here in Oslo could be pressured into a peace agreement or ceasefire that is not only harmful to them, but which, in the longer term, could also be dangerous for Norway and the rest of Europe," he writes.