Witkoff and Kushner Join Ukraine Talks in Oslo at Kyiv's Request; Moscow Trip Planned, U.S. Official Says

U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are taking part in Ukraine peace talks in Oslo on Tuesday at Ukraine's request, Norway's government said.

"They will join the meetings being held in Oslo today between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre," the Norwegian prime minister's office said. It said Witkoff would travel to Oslo, while Kushner would participate remotely.

"Ukraine has requested that US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner join the meetings. I am pleased that they are able to participate," Støre said. "Diplomatic efforts have previously taken place in several countries, and Norway and Finland are pleased to be able to continue this work. The aim is to put diplomatic efforts on a more constructive path."

AFP flagged Norway's announcement at 2:54 a.m. ET:

Post: AFP (@AFP) on X, Oct. 20, 2026, 2:54 a.m. ET.

"BREAKING US envoys Witkoff, Kushner to take part in Ukraine talks in Oslo, Norway's government says"

Finland's presidential office updated its announcement of Stubb's trip to add the envoys. "The discussions between the Presidents and the Prime Minister will cover Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and the overall security situation in Europe," it said. "The US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will also join the meetings."

Norway said Zelenskyy had asked for the meeting. "President Zelensky has asked Norway and Finland to organise a meeting as part of the ongoing diplomatic efforts at this critical time for Ukraine," Støre said. Zelenskyy's program also includes an audience with King Haakon at the Royal Palace and a visit to the Storting, Norway's parliament. Norway said Zelenskyy, Stubb and Støre will hold a joint press conference after the meeting.

The Moscow track. A U.S. official told Axios that "following Oslo, Witkoff is also planning to travel to Russia, where he hopes to meet with President Vladimir Putin and present ideas developed in close consultation with Ukraine and European partners." The official said the trip is also expected to include efforts to free Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher whom the U.S. says has been wrongfully detained in Russia. According to the official, Kushner has the flu, which is why he is joining by video.

"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 official told Axios. The White House has not publicly confirmed the Russia trip. AFP reported that the White House did not immediately respond to its request for confirmation.

Zelenskyy's call with Rubio. Hours before the talks, Zelenskyy posted that he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio:

Post: Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) on X, Oct. 20, 2026, 2:44 a.m. ET.

"I spoke with Marco Rubio @SecRubio, and it was a substantive conversation – focused on the issues that matter. I am grateful for his readiness to help and his clear position. First, ballistic missile interceptors, which are needed to protect lives. Second, early warning of Russian ballistic missile attacks, which is vital. Third, the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored. Of course, all of this comes against the backdrop of our diplomatic efforts to end this horrific war and the constant killing of people. We agreed to get in touch again soon for an update. Thank you, Marco, for the constructive discussion! Thank you to everyone in America who supports fair approaches!"

Zelenskyy's claims on supplies and intelligence. On Monday, Zelenskyy said, "There are political agreements that have not been implemented at the working level. There are also delays in certain types of vital supplies at the level of the U.S. Department of War." After a call with members of Congress, he wrote that Ukraine "received no early warning from our partners about the first wave of the Russian ballistic missile attack last night," and that "we still face speed restrictions on Starlink and Starshield services in different parts of the front. No explanation for either of these issues has been provided to Ukraine by the American side." These are Zelenskyy's claims. Radio Purple found no on-the-record U.S. government response to his claim about delayed interceptor deliveries.

Rubio addressed the related questions on Monday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Asked about Zelenskyy's statement that the U.S. had paused intelligence sharing, Rubio said, "I don't know where he's getting these things from or why he's saying these things to the press. You should go back and ask him. There has been no pause." On early warning, he said, "I know a few nights ago there was a software problem involving their early warning system that I know CENTCOM – sorry, I know that EUCOM had been involved in looking at, and that's the report they gave us back. I can't comment on what happened last night." On Starshield, he said it "is something that the Department of War controls," and that Ukraine would "like to expand it to be able to conduct attacks beyond Ukrainian territory, and that's not something I'm going to discuss in a press conference."

The Kharkiv strike. The talks follow a Russian drone strike Monday on a park in Nova Vodolaha, in the Kharkiv region. Zelenskyy said "Six people were killed, including children," among them a girl "just over a year old," and that "Another 14 people were injured, including six more children." Official figures differ: the Kharkiv regional police report, updated to say two children and four adults were killed, puts the injured at 15, including seven children. Police opened a war crimes case.