--- title: "Kushner via video link at Oslo talks again demands Ukraine stop strikes on Russian refineries" description: "At the Oslo talks, Jared Kushner demanded via video link that Ukraine stop strikes on Russian refineries. Zelenskyy stated readiness for such steps if Moscow takes reciprocal actions." date: 2026-10-21T03:52:37.973Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/oslo-talks-kushner-refineries-ukraine tags: [oslo-talks, jared-kushner, ukraine-russia, diesel-sanctions, peace-negotiations] author: "Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Kushner via video link at Oslo talks again demands Ukraine stop strikes on Russian refineries ![Jared Kushner during negotiations in Oslo wearing a suit and earpiece.](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/21/oslo-peregovory-kushner-uzhe-npz-ukraina/oslo-peregovory-kushner-uzhe-npz-ukraina-1.webp) ## Key Points - Jared Kushner, via video link at the Oslo talks, again demanded that Ukraine stop strikes on Russian refineries. - Zelenskyy stated Kyiv's readiness to stop such strikes provided Moscow takes reciprocal steps. - Washington counts on Russia's compromise amid Trump lifting restrictions on Russian diesel sales. - According to a US official, the parties achieved substantial progress and high working-level alignment. - Special Envoy Witkoff intends to meet with Vladimir Putin after consultations in Norway. At the negotiating venue in Oslo, where Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived for consultations with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, US President's son-in-law Jared Kushner joined the discussion remotely. According to an informed source familiar with the meeting, Kushner reiterated a demand dictated by Donald Trump's position via video link—to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. An Axios source referencing the conversation emphasized that Kushner was "very blunt" during the discussion, indicating that the refinery issue is viewed in Washington as one of the key conditions for further progress on the negotiating track. ### Washington's Demand and Kyiv's Conditional Readiness The Ukrainian side's reaction to this demand came immediately after the meeting concluded. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv is ready to stop strikes on Russian oil refining enterprises, but made this condition dependent on reciprocal steps from Moscow. Thus, the refinery issue turned from a unilateral demand into a subject of bargaining: Kyiv agrees to restrictions in exchange for comparable concessions from the Russian side, which effectively changes the nature of the discussion from directive to mutual. ### Context: Lifting Diesel Sanctions and Expectations in Washington As Axios reported, Washington is counting on Russia's readiness for compromise in negotiations with Ukraine. The basis for such expectations includes, in particular, Donald Trump's decision to lift restrictions related to the sale of Russian diesel fuel, as well as a number of other steps that, according to the American side, were positively received in Moscow. This, reportedly, forms the perception in Washington that the Russian side has an incentive to move forward and that the negotiating window remains open. ### Progress Assessment and Witkoff's Diplomatic Itinerary An anonymous US official commenting on the meeting's outcome reported that Ukraine put forward new ideas and proposals at the Oslo talks, which the parties discussed in detail. According to him, the participants achieved "substantial progress" and formed a high level of alignment on next steps at the working level. Witkoff's diplomatic itinerary, who flew to Norway on October 20 for consultations with Zelenskyy and European leaders, involves a subsequent meeting with Vladimir Putin, making Oslo an intermediate but important stage in a broader chain of contacts. ### How the Situation is Assessed in Moscow In Moscow, according to available assessments, the conflict between Trump and Zelenskyy—triggered by the US agreement with Russia on diesel fuel supplies to the global market—is viewed as dynamic advantageous to the Russian side. This perspective emphasizes that within the negotiation process, each party interprets current steps—from lifting diesel restrictions to refinery demands—through the prism of its own political interests rather than as a single coordinated scenario. Under these conditions, further escalation or de-escalation will depend on whether the parties manage to translate mutual promises into concrete and verifiable actions at the working level. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Зять Трампа снова просил у Зеленского не бить по НПЗ в России, - Axios](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zyat-trampa-znovu-prosiv-zelenskogo-biti-1792551792.html) - Single source; information about Kushner's participation via video link, Zelenskyy's statement, and progress assessment relies on anonymous sources and a single US official cited by Axios. ## FAQ ### How did Jared Kushner participate in the Oslo talks? According to a source familiar with the meeting, Kushner joined the negotiations remotely via video link and reiterated the demand to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. ### What did Zelenskyy state after the meeting? Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is ready to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow takes reciprocal steps. ### What progress did participants record? An anonymous US official reported that Ukraine put forward new ideas which were discussed in detail, and that the parties achieved substantial progress and high working-level alignment. ### Where is Witkoff heading next? According to the background, following consultations in Norway with Zelenskyy and European leaders, Witkoff intends to meet with Vladimir Putin.