Witkoff will fly to St Petersburg, where he will propose a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, according to Støre
On Tuesday, October 20, talks were held in Norway between Ukraine, the United States, and European representatives. The very next day, Donald Trump’s special representative, Steve Witkoff, will travel to St. Petersburg.
There, he will propose a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced this during a press conference.
What are the results of the talks?
The Norwegian prime minister announced that on Wednesday, October 21, the U.S. delegate will meet with Russian leaders. The U.S. presidential representative will share the ideas and proposals discussed by American and European officials at the meeting in Oslo. He will also discuss the possibility of a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.
Perhaps this will pave the way for a meeting at the leadership level,
– Stere said.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb described the talks between Zelenskyy and Witkoff as constructive. During a joint press conference with the Ukrainian and Norwegian leaders, Stubb stated that they had found “elements of peace.”
During his remarks, Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the notion that Ukraine is losing the war against Russia. However, he emphasized that the country is losing people.
And it’s a shame, because our children… don’t have a real life… That’s why we need to end this war as soon as possible,
– said the head of state.
He expressed hope that the Americans and Europeans would help achieve this goal. The president said that one of the key ideas is to organize a trilateral meeting of leaders to resolve all issues. The head of state said that tomorrow we’ll see what Putin has to say about this.
The president added that security advisors from European countries joined the talks today. This morning, he had a “good conversation” with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The head of state emphasized that he appreciates the politician’s willingness to help.
Ukraine wants peace more than anyone else. It was Russia that started this war. And the decision to continue the killings is Russia’s choice, and Russia’s alone,
– Zelenskyy stated.
He noted that Kyiv immediately supported the U.S. proposal for an “energy ceasefire.” But Moscow continued to strike Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. The head of state explained that the Ukrainian side had proposed various options. The president emphasized that Ukraine is prepared to refrain from striking sensitive targets in the Russian energy sector if the aggressor country stops striking critical infrastructure.
Putin said “no,” but we are working to find a solution,
the Ukrainian leader noted.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and its European partners have clear ideas on how to achieve peace. Kyiv wants the Americans to convey these ideas to Moscow.
He also commented on possible trilateral talks between the U.S., Russia, and China. Zelenskyy stated that issues concerning Ukraine cannot be resolved without Ukraine’s involvement. Recall that, commenting on a hypothetical meeting between Trump, Xi Jinping, and Putin in an interview with Italian media, the Ukrainian leader stated that the Russian dictator's gradual exit from isolation has already taken place.