Steve Witkoff to meet Vladimir Putin after productive Oslo peace talks with Volodymyr Zelensky

United States special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday to present fresh peace proposals, hours after concluding what American and Ukrainian officials described as productive talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo.

Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will participate in the Moscow discussions virtually, an American official confirmed. The diplomatic push comes as Washington attempts to bridge a deepening rift with Kyiv while laying the groundwork for eventual three-way negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States.

What happened in Oslo

Zelensky met Trump's envoys in the Norwegian capital on Tuesday, presenting specific revisions to earlier ceasefire frameworks that Ukrainian officials had previously resisted.

"Ukraine brought forward new ideas and proposals, which were discussed in detail," an American official said following the meeting, adding that both delegations made meaningful progress in aligning their diplomatic strategies before approaching the Kremlin.

Following the session, Zelensky posted a brief message online confirming the push: "Ukraine is working for peace. I thank our partners for their support!"

Strains between Kyiv and Washington

The diplomacy in Oslo followed weeks of visible friction between Zelensky and the Trump administration. Ukrainian officials have grown increasingly vocal over Washington's recent bilateral agreements with Moscow, including arrangements on Russian diesel exports and the lifting of certain oil sanctions, which Kyiv argued undermined its leverage.

Zelensky publicly questioned Washington's balance in mid-October, arguing that treating the two sides as equally positioned risked leaving the White House on the wrong side of history. Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, noted that Ukrainian officials have sought to critique policy rather than personalize disputes with Trump, aiming to engage broadly with lawmakers across both American political parties.

The public confrontation has simultaneously altered political dynamics in Kyiv. A poll conducted between 10 and 16 October by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found public trust in Zelensky rose to 57%, up from 43% earlier in the month, amid a domestic rally around the government during its standoff with Washington.

What happens next in Moscow

Witkoff's mission in Moscow will test whether the proposals revised in Oslo can gain traction with Putin. Washington's stated goal is to use these bilateral rounds to set up direct three-way negotiations between Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington.

Whether the Kremlin will accept terms brought directly from Oslo remains unconfirmed, as previous iterations of U.S.-mediated frameworks stalled over territorial control and security guarantees. American officials maintained on Tuesday that while significant hurdles remain, the Oslo discussions demonstrated a coordinated determination to establish a durable framework for peace.