Sharing American intelligence with Ukraine for early warnings in the event of a Russian attack is working again, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday, October 20, following discussions in Oslo, Norway. Kyiv had already gone a week without US intelligence before the meeting.
“We are grateful that the intelligence services are now functioning,” Zelensky said. “I think we will have good results.”
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Following talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Zelensky said Ukraine could see results in the next 48 hours on Patriot interceptors, intelligence sharing and Starlink restrictions.
He described the conversation as substantive and positive, with both sides agreeing on next steps.
Witkoff will go to Moscow with new proposals
US envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to St. Petersburg to present to Russian leaders the proposals developed during talks with Ukrainian and European leaders in Oslo on Tuesday (October 20), Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.
Støre spoke at a joint press conference with Zelensky and Finnish President Alexander Stubb following a meeting with Witkoff. Ukraine’s security, post-war prosperity, territorial issues and sanctions were discussed during the discussions.
Zelensky said the sides discussed several types of security guarantees spelled out in a draft document. The proposals would be forwarded to the Russian side and kyiv would then wait for a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff was present in person, while his negotiating partner Jared Kushner joined by video after falling ill with the flu, Norwegian newspaper VG reported.
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“We all want peace and we will see what happens tomorrow,” Zelensky said.
Moscow appears open to American proposals and excludes any concessions
The Kremlin, for its part, has been open to American proposals, but has strictly excluded any territorial concession.
“We will see what they propose,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to Russian state media TASS.
“If they propose something that benefits us economically and financially, why not? But that should not imply any political concessions on our part,” he continued.
Moscow has long demanded that Ukraine withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region it still controls and cede all territory, abandon its attempt to join NATO and agree to limit the size of its armed forces.
kyiv, however, has repeatedly rejected the obligation to give up its territorial sovereignty as part of a possible peace settlement.
Zelensky highlights Russia’s support for Iran
Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s reluctance to put too much pressure on Putin due to concerns that Moscow could increase its support for Iran, Zelensky said he could not say whether Putin was using Iran as leverage.
He said Ukraine had seen evidence of Russian drone components being delivered to Iran and that Russian satellite intelligence was being shared with Tehran.
“I know that Russia remains on the side of the Iranians,” Zelensky said.
Leaders call for focus on the future
Zelensky, Stubb and Støre stressed that no decision regarding Ukraine’s future should be made without kyiv at the table. Støre urged attendees to put aside the heated rhetoric of recent days and focus on the way forward, to which Stubb agreed.
Zelensky thanked Norway for hosting the negotiations, calling it one of the countries doing the most to help Ukraine protect lives.
“Ukraine wants peace more than anyone. It was Russia that started this war,” Zelensky said.
Peace efforts resume after a week of diplomatic tensions
After more than a week of tensions between kyiv and Washington, diplomacy seems to be gaining momentum again.
The latest round of diplomatic shuttles began on the weekend of September 5 and 6. Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin in Moscow and then traveled to kyiv the next day, marking their first visit to Ukraine despite their repeated trips to Russia.
Although all three sides – the United States, Russia and Ukraine – described the meetings as positive and substantive, no progress was made to end Russian aggression.
Relations deteriorated after Trump struck a brutal deal with Putin on Oct. 9, the same day the Ukrainian delegation was in Miami hoping to negotiate an end to the war with the Trump administration.
Ukraine then faced restrictions on Starlink terminals without prior warning and a week-long pause in sharing U.S. intelligence, although U.S. officials denied responsibility for either case.
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