US special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to St. Petersburg to meet Vladimir Putin following diplomatic talks in Oslo that addressed security guarantees and post-war recovery for Ukraine. The discussions come as Washington resumes intelligence sharing on incoming missile attacks, despite ongoing friction regarding communication restrictions and delayed Patriot interceptor deliveries. In response to the geopolitical pressures, Kyiv has offered to halt long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries if the US immediately supplies Patriot systems to protect Ukrainian cities. These diplomatic maneuvers unfold alongside shifting economic policies, including Russian energy waivers, and face increasing bipartisan criticism from lawmakers concerned about abandoning traditional allies.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to St. Petersburg to meet Vladimir Putin following diplomatic talks in Oslo that addressed security guarantees and post-war recovery for Ukraine. The discussions come as Washington resumes intelligence sharing on incoming missile attacks, despite ongoing friction regarding communication restrictions and delayed Patriot interceptor deliveries. In response to the geopolitical pressures, Kyiv has offered to halt long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries if the US immediately supplies Patriot systems to protect Ukrainian cities. These diplomatic maneuvers unfold alongside shifting economic policies, including Russian energy waivers, and face increasing bipartisan criticism from lawmakers concerned about abandoning traditional allies.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to St. Petersburg to meet Vladimir Putin following diplomatic talks in Oslo that addressed security guarantees and post-war recovery for Ukraine. The discussions come as Washington resumes intelligence sharing on incoming missile attacks, despite ongoing friction regarding communication restrictions and delayed Patriot interceptor deliveries. In response to the geopolitical pressures, Kyiv has offered to halt long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries if the US immediately supplies Patriot systems to protect Ukrainian cities. These diplomatic maneuvers unfold alongside shifting economic policies, including Russian energy waivers, and face increasing bipartisan criticism from lawmakers concerned about abandoning traditional allies.

Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel directly from Oslo to St. Petersburg to meet Vladimir Putin, which will see Jared Kushner’s attending again by a video link. Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, had joined the meeting with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky remotely on Tuesday.

The aim is to establish a pathway towards broader trilateral negotiations after what US officials described as "constructive" and "very productive" talks with Zelensky. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and senior European and British security representatives joined the sessions.

The Oslo agenda was ambitious. It covered "Article 5-like" security guarantees for Ukraine, a post-war economic recovery blueprint, energy ceasefire proposals and a wider European security architecture. Witkoff now carries these points to Moscow, where Ukraine will not be present. Zelensky has firmly rejected any summit involving Washington, Moscow and Beijing that would exclude Kyiv, and has maintained that no decision on Ukraine's future can be made without Ukraine at the table.

The most tangible result from Oslo is the resumption of American intelligence sharing on incoming Russian missile attacks. Washington was accused of having briefly suspended these warnings, and Zelensky confirmed that the early-warning data "works now". Speed restrictions were placed on SpaceX's Starshield, the military-grade satellite network on which Ukrainian battlefield communications and drone operations depend. Deliveries of Patriot interceptors, paid for by European allies, were also delayed. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied any political directive to curb support, yet Ukrainian forces felt the disruption on the ground. Zelensky has answered with a pragmatic offer: Ukraine will halt long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries if Washington approves immediate delivery of Patriot systems to protect its cities.

The offer lands in a delicate context. Trump signed an executive order on October 16, two days before a deadline in the Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 that would have brought the sanctions into effect. It would have imposed sanctions of up to 100 per cent on goods from the largest importers of Russian crude oil and gas. The waiver follows a week after Trump announced that the United States would buy diesel from Russia. The aim is to curb fuel prices before the midterm elections. Trump has also demanded that Kyiv stop hitting Russian energy infrastructure, accused Zelensky of refusing to settle and suggested that Ukraine needs new leadership. Vice President JD Vance has called Ukraine a partner with "divergent interests" and restated opposition to both the strikes and any future NATO membership for Kyiv. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has questioned whether American negotiators are honest brokers, noting that European support has been essential in preventing Ukraine from being coerced into capitulation on Moscow's terms.

Resistance is building inside Trump's own party. Outgoing Representative Don Bacon called the president's conduct "absolutely disgraceful", accused him of comforting a war criminal and said his leverage in Congress is badly damaged. He vowed to oppose presidential funding priorities such as a planned victory arch and a White House ballroom. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick described the diesel deal, the sanctions waivers and the Starshield disruptions as "wildly unacceptable" and promised demands for accountability and punitive budgetary measures. Senator Bill Cassidy and former senator Mitt Romney also dissented, warning that stepping back from Ukraine abandons American values and the cause of global liberty. Senator John Cornyn of Texas said Lindsey Graham would be appalled.

Kyiv, for its part, has changed its tone. Rather than the cautious manner and swift praise of earlier quarrels with Trump, Ukrainian leaders have publicly named American restrictions and described conditions on the ground. Security experts and officials call this a necessary alarm in the face of an existential threat. The human cost lends the argument weight. According to the United Nations, civilian casualties from Russian strikes rose by 85 per cent last month. Fresh barrages have killed at least ten civilians across Kyiv, Donetsk, Dnipro and Kharkiv, and have badly damaged energy infrastructure with winter close. NATO has announced enhanced deployments to the Black Sea, including additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and intelligence personnel.

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