US Special Representative Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, made an extremely tough demand during a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine citing The Wall Street Journal, while Axios simultaneously confirmed details of the episode. The meeting took place on October 20; due to illness, Kushner joined the discussion remotely via video conference, while the in-person round in the Norwegian capital was led by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. One WSJ source described the conversation as «very tough».
Tough Tone of Negotiations in Oslo
According to Axios, the diplomatic round in Oslo took place with the personal participation of Steve Witkoff, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre; Reuters reported that high-ranking UK representatives were also involved in the discussions. Kushner, according to the publication, reiterated and in the most straightforward manner conveyed the position of the US administration, demanding that Kyiv immediately cease strikes on oil refineries within Russia.
Washington's Argumentation
A WSJ source relayed that Kushner insisted: he and Steve Witkoff spend a lot of time, effort, and aviation fuel negotiating with Moscow, so Kyiv should express gratitude with a 30-day pause in attacks. Axios additionally points to the motive of the risk of rising global oil prices as the reason for the tough demand. The Kremlin, in turn, stated that Kyiv is disrupting the peace efforts of American diplomats.
Link to Starlink Restoration
The day after the meeting in Oslo, Donald Trump called Elon Musk and asked him to restore Starlink satellite communications for Ukraine. American officials stated that the issues of Starlink operation and Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries were not connected. Ukrainian and European representatives described the situation differently: according to one European official, Kyiv was being pushed to suspend strikes on refineries until the US midterm elections concluded, and a Ukrainian military official told WSJ that «Starlink and the oil refineries became two parts of the same story».
Context of Peace Negotiations
As RBC-Ukraine's source previously reported, the US president's team continues peace talks to end the Russian war, maintaining a cautious stance on the Donbas issue. At the same time, calls to stop strikes on Russian refineries are not being heard for the first time, making the Oslo episode part of broader pressure on Kyiv within the negotiation track.
