Zelensky holds Oslo talks as Rubio denies intelligence claims

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were holding talks in Oslo on 20 October, seeking to repair increasingly strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. BBC News reported that Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was participating by video link, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected allegations that American intelligence was being withheld from Ukraine.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Zelensky had asked Norway and Finland to arrange discussions with the United States and European allies. Zelensky met Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb before his meeting with Witkoff. The Norwegian leader described the objective as restoring constructive engagement and pursuing a durable, just diplomatic settlement to the war.

Rubio disputes claims over missile warnings

Speaking to reporters during a visit to India, Rubio dismissed as scandalous the accusation that Ukrainians were dying because Washington was withholding critical intelligence. Zelensky’s senior military adviser Serhii Beskrestnov, known as Flash, had alleged that US warnings—including alerts about ballistic missile launches—were arriving inconsistently and that the gaps were costing lives.

The allegation and Rubio’s rejection leave the central issue unresolved: whether interruptions in warnings occurred, what caused them and whether any information was deliberately withheld. Beskrestnov’s account is not, by itself, proof of an intentional US decision.

Before the Oslo meeting, Zelensky described a discussion with Rubio as constructive. He said it covered American early-warning information, missile interceptors and access to SpaceX’s Starlink internet network.

A bipartisan group of US senators had called the previous week for an urgent investigation into restrictions on Starlink speeds in Ukraine. Separately, reports that further Patriot interceptor transfers had not been approved remained unconfirmed. Rubio acknowledged that interceptors might not yet have reached Ukraine, while saying that nothing had been intentionally denied to Kyiv.

A widening political and energy dispute

The discussions came after Trump called for Ukraine to have a new president and, more recently, for someone other than Zelensky to negotiate on its behalf. Those remarks have added political strain to disagreements over military support and attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

Zelensky travelled to Oslo with Rustem Umerov, identified in the report as Ukraine’s intelligence chief, and lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia. Both had held discussions with Witkoff and Kushner in Miami earlier in October.

The Miami meeting reportedly broke off after the Ukrainian delegation learned of Trump’s announcement that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the United States and other markets, ending American sanctions on Russian diesel exports. Zelensky criticised the announcement as a birthday gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ahead of the US midterm elections in November, Trump has blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries for high American pump prices. The report described those prices as reaching record highs since the start of the US-led war on Iran; Trump’s attribution of responsibility to Ukraine remains his political assessment, rather than an established explanation of fuel-price movements.

Europe presses for a joint approach

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed concern on Monday about inconsistent US signals over Russia and said he was trying to persuade Washington to address the war jointly with its partners. Speaking to Bloomberg TV, he said Europe and other countries had borne the cost of Ukraine’s defence since the start of 2025, describing the continuing commitment as a substantial burden on their budgets.

US Vice-President JD Vance, meanwhile, characterised Ukraine as a partner with which Washington sometimes had conflicting interests. In a television interview, he opposed Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and reiterated his opposition to Ukraine joining Nato.

No outcome from the Oslo talks had been announced in the report. Zelensky was expected to appear at a subsequent press conference with the Norwegian and Finnish leaders, but Witkoff was not expected to attend. A possible onward visit by the US envoy to Russia remained uncertain; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow hoped a meeting could be arranged soon.