Summary

US special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia on Wednesday to present proposals for ending the war in Ukraine following negotiations in Oslo involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The talks on Tuesday, 20 October, addressed security guarantees, territorial disputes, sanctions and potential ceasefires. Witkoff is expected to meet Russian officials in St Petersburg, where he will present proposals developed through discussions between Ukraine, the United States and European partners. Add Helsinki Times as a preferred source on Google (opens Google in a new tab) Zelenskyy confirmed that proposals for Ukraine's post-war security would be part of the discussions with Russia. He also called for a meeting involving himself, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to resolve outstanding issues. Speaking at a joint press conference, Stubb said the Oslo meeting had produced progress after tensions between Washington and Kyiv threatened to disrupt negotiations. "We found some elements of peace which will be taken forward to Saint Petersburg tomorrow," Stubb said. He explained that discussions covered air defence, energy infrastructure and partial ceasefires, including arrangements concerning energy supplies and food security. The Finnish president said negotiators had also worked on documents addressing territorial questions, sanctions and security arrangements. Representatives from Ukraine, the United States, European countries, the EU and Nato had contributed to the proposals. Stubb expressed confidence that European and American negotiators had reached a common understanding of the next steps. "I feel that the process is back on track," he said, adding that Russia's response would determine the direction of subsequent negotiations. Støre said Zelenskyy had requested assistance from Finland and Norway in organising the meeting amid deteriorating relations between Ukraine and the Trump administration. The Norwegian prime minister stressed that Europe must participate in negotiations concerning Ukraine's future and the continent's security. Zelenskyy welcomed the discussions and said Ukraine remained prepared to negotiate, while insisting that decisions concerning its territory and future required Ukrainian participation. "We are not losing the war, but we are losing people because Russia attacks," he said. The Ukrainian president also reported progress in discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concerning military intelligence, missile defence systems and Starlink satellite communications. Zelenskyy thanked Washington for intelligence supporting Ukraine's early warning systems against Russian attacks, saying the information was now reaching Ukrainian authorities. His remarks followed disagreements over reports that the United States had restricted intelligence sharing. Washington had denied withholding intelligence, while Rubio described allegations that such restrictions had caused Ukrainian deaths as "scandalous". The Oslo meeting followed weeks of tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy over US sanctions policy towards Russia, Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure and a diesel supply agreement between Washington and Moscow. Trump had criticised Zelenskyy and postponed sanctions against Russia, prompting objections from Kyiv. According to Russian state news agency Tass, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was prepared to examine the proposals but would not offer political concessions. Witkoff's visit to Russia will follow discussions involving European representatives, including officials from Britain, France, Germany and Italy. Stubb said negotiations would continue despite uncertainty over the war's duration, while Zelenskyy indicated that he expected further contact with Rubio within 48 hours. HT