Rubio dismisses claims US is withholding intelligence from Kyiv

Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's special envoy, has arrived in Norway ahead of talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, as relations between the Ukrainian leader and the US president continue to slide.

Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway's prime minister, said Zelensky had asked Oslo and neighbouring Finland to organise the meeting with the US and European allies "at a critical time for Ukraine". Ahead of the gathering, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, rejected as "scandalous" and "outrageous" accusations that Ukrainians were dying because Washington was withholding intelligence from Kyiv. He spoke after Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, Zelensky's military technical adviser, told the BBC that the lack of reliable US warnings was costing lives. "This looks very strange," Beskrestnov said. "Sometimes we receive this information before the attack, another time we [do] not."

Ties between Kyiv and Washington have soured in recent weeks to the point where Trump has said it is time for Ukraine to get a new president, and most recently that "somebody else" should negotiate on Ukraine's behalf. Støre said the aim of the Oslo talks was to steer relations towards "a more constructive path", telling reporters at the Norwegian parliament that the participants wanted to ensure the war ended diplomatically, with a lasting and just peace.

Zelensky said he had held a "constructive discussion" with Rubio about the need for US early warnings, missile interceptors and SpaceX's Starlink internet network. Last week a bipartisan group of US senators called for an urgent investigation into disruptions to Starlink in Ukraine, and unconfirmed reports on Tuesday said the transfer of more Patriot interceptors had not yet been approved. Rubio, who is currently visiting India, admitted to reporters that it may be true the interceptors had not yet arrived, though nothing had been denied to Kyiv intentionally.

Witkoff is expected to be joined by video link by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and by several European representatives, including Alexander Stubb, the Finnish president, and officials from the UK, Poland, France and Germany, as well as the EU and Nato. It is not yet clear whether Witkoff will travel on to Russia; the Kremlin spokesman said he hoped a meeting with the special envoy could be arranged soon. Dmitry Peskov said: "We greatly appreciate the mediation efforts of the American negotiators."

Earlier this month Vladimir Putin discussed the war with Trump by telephone, after which the US president announced that Moscow would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and other markets, ending American sanctions on Russian diesel exports. The deal coincided with Witkoff and Kushner's last meeting with Ukrainian officials in Miami; Zelensky responded by calling it "a happy birthday present for Putin". Ahead of next month's US midterm elections, Trump has blamed Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries for record fuel prices at the pump since the start of the US-led war on Iran.

European leaders have voiced concern at recent US statements towards Russia. Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, spoke on Monday of "mixed pictures and messages" on the war, adding that he was trying to convince the American government "in total that this is something we have to resolve jointly". He pointed out that Washington had not been paying for Ukraine's defence since the start of 2025, with Europe and other countries shouldering the burden. "It's really a big effort for our budgets, it's really a big thing for the European Union, but we are doing that and we are trying to keep on doing that until this terrible war ends," he told Bloomberg TV.

Asked whether Ukraine was a US ally, Vice-President JD Vance said in a television interview that Kyiv was "certainly a partner in some ways, but we have some divergent interests from time to time, like for example... I think they should stop bombing Russian energy". He added: "We don't have a formal alliance as far as I know with Ukraine. They're not in Nato, I don't think they should be in Nato... we're gonna work together on some things, but also we're going to be opposite on some things too."

The talks in Oslo come as Ukraine continues to defend its sovereignty against Russia's unprovoked invasion, with European allies seeking to hold together a coalition that has grown increasingly anxious about Washington's direction. 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.