Zelensky says intelligence-sharing is back on track. After meeting US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said American early-warning intelligence on Russian attacks “works now,” thanking the US side. Kyiv had earlier accused Washington of withholding such data, a charge the US rejected as “scandalous,” according to the BBC report.
Witkoff meets Putin after Oslo talks
The BBC reported Witkoff arrived in St Petersburg to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. A runway photo showed him greeted by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Zelensky and European partners said it was now up to Russia to respond to proposals agreed in Oslo. A US official later described the Oslo meeting as “very productive and constructive,” citing “strong alignment at the working level” between the US, Ukraine and Europe on next steps.
Trump presses for a deal; VP Vance notes ‘divergent interests’
Relations between Kyiv and Washington have been strained. The BBC said President Trump argued it was time for Ukraine to get a new president and “for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.” Speaking after the Oslo news conference, Trump told reporters he wanted Kyiv to “make a deal,” said Russia would like to “get it done,” and that it was “time for Ukraine to end this war.” The BBC also reported Trump linked rising fuel prices—described as increasing since the start of a US-led war on Iran—to Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries.
US Vice-President JD Vance told the BBC in an interview that Ukraine is “certainly a partner in some ways,” but said there are “divergent interests from time to time,” citing his view that “they should stop bombing Russian energy.” Vance added the US has no formal alliance with Ukraine, said Kyiv is not in Nato, and that he does not think it should be.
Moscow signals no concessions
Putin has not publicly commented on the latest moves, the BBC said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated the Kremlin would listen to Witkoff’s offers while ruling out “any political concessions.”
Europe seeks a seat at the table
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who joined the Oslo talks alongside Norway’s prime minister, said “genuine progress” had been made toward peace proposals but provided no details and cautioned that patience would be needed. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pointed to “mixed pictures and messages” from the US, telling Bloomberg TV he is trying to convince the American government “in total that this is something we have to resolve jointly,” while warning of the strain on European budgets. Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Europe needs “to be at the table” for any discussions on ending the fighting.
Air defense, Starlink scrutiny, and battlefield toll
The BBC noted unconfirmed reports that additional US-made Patriot interceptor missiles—described in the report as the only effective weapon for shooting down Russian ballistic missiles—had not yet been approved. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters it may be true Patriot interceptors had not yet arrived, while stressing nothing had been intentionally denied to Kyiv.
Zelensky said he hoped for a good result on Starlink after Ukraine’s military reported speed restrictions on drones using the network to conduct strikes; a bipartisan group of US senators called last week for an urgent investigation into those reported restrictions, the BBC said. Zelensky also said “strong” security guarantees and energy ceasefire proposals were discussed in Oslo, and restated Kyiv was “ready for negotiations.” He added: “Of course, we are not losing this war, but we are losing people because Russia attacks.”
Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, and Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, according to the BBC. Ukrainian officials said at least 10 people were killed on Tuesday by Russian drone attacks—in Kyiv and its region (four), in Donetsk (four), and in Dnipro (two). Another attack overnight killed two near Kharkiv, officials said.
