Kremlin hopes Witkoff will brief Putin on Oslo talks with Kyiv

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it hoped Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, would brief Vladimir Putin in the coming days on his talks with Ukrainian and European leaders in Oslo, amid ongoing efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

Witkoff arrived in the Norwegian capital earlier in the day for a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre, senior British, French, German and Polish representatives, and EU and Nato officials. Some US news outlets reported that Witkoff may meet Putin in Russia on Wednesday. Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and a participant in peace negotiations, is joining the Oslo talks by video link after contracting flu.

"We hope that a meeting can be arranged in the very near future, and that the American negotiators, Mr. Witkoff, will be able to brief President Putin on their contacts with both the Ukrainians and the Europeans," said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman. Speaking to reporters at a daily briefing, Peskov said Moscow sought to "continue the exchange of views on a range of very important issues" with Witkoff. "We consider such meetings to be of great importance on every occasion," he said. "They are always timely and very substantive, and we greatly appreciate the mediation efforts of the American negotiators."

A US official told the Axios reporter Barak Ravid that Witkoff hoped to "present ideas developed in close consultation with Ukraine and European partners". The official was quoted as saying: "President Trump has directed an intensive process to develop a comprehensive peace proposal with Ukraine and Europe, and the next step is to test whether that work can form the basis for serious negotiations with Russia." The New York Times reported on Monday that Trump was seeking to "force a deal" on Zelensky, "even one written largely on Russia's terms".

Putin continues to demand that Ukraine cede full control of the Donetsk region as a prerequisite for any ceasefire—a condition Kyiv has repeatedly rejected. Sources close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg last month that Putin expected Russian forces to take full control of Donetsk by late February 2027.

Witkoff and Kushner last visited Russia on 5 September, when subsequent reporting claimed Putin raised the prospect of a multibillion-dollar oil deal benefiting Middle Eastern business executives with ties to the US negotiators.

The talks unfold as Ukraine continues to defend its sovereignty against Russia's unprovoked invasion, with Kyiv and its European allies wary of any settlement imposed largely on Moscow's terms. European leaders have grown anxious about Washington's direction, even as they welcome the renewed diplomatic effort. The World House, which has consistently stood with Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began, provides further information on its support initiatives at worldhouse.uk/support.