US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Norway on Tuesday, where he will hold a series of consultations in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders. According to Axios, during these talks, representatives of Ukraine, Europe, and the US intend to formulate a peace proposal that will subsequently be handed over to the Russian side. Immediately after the Oslo consultations, the American official plans to fly to Russia, where he expects to meet personally with Vladimir Putin and present him with ideas shaped during work with the Ukrainian and European sides.
Participants in Oslo
The consultations in the Norwegian capital are expected to be attended by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, representatives of the so-called "European Quad" — Great Britain, France, Germany, and Poland — as well as officials from the European Union and NATO. The meeting format involves joint work on the text of a peace proposal, which is to become the basis for further negotiations with Moscow.
Visit to Russia and Kushner's Participation
The American official stated that after Oslo, Witkoff intends to visit Russia to meet with Putin. At the same time, the US President's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who usually accompanies Witkoff on such trips, will not be able to attend in person due to contracting the flu; his participation in the consultations will be provided online. Thus, the key role in conveying the positions of Washington, Kyiv, and Europe remains with Witkoff.
Continuation of Discussions Begun in Miami
According to a source, the Norwegian consultations are a direct continuation of negotiations held earlier in Miami, where Zelenskyy promised to consider and promote a number of proposals aimed at creating a path to a comprehensive and lasting peace agreement. Representatives of the US, Ukraine, and Europe have been working together over the past week on the text of the proposals, focusing on two parallel tracks. As the American official emphasized, President Trump has instructed the launch of an intensive process to draft a peace proposal, and the next step will be to test whether this work can become the basis for serious negotiations with Russia. "These discussions remain open and much work lies ahead. President Trump's goal is clear: to end the killings, bring the war to a close, and create conditions for a lasting peace that will benefit Ukraine, Russia, Europe, and the United States," he added.
The Issue of Stephen Hubbard's Release
In addition to the main peace tracks, during Witkoff's trip, according to Axios, efforts will be made to secure the release of Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher whom the US considers wrongfully detained in Russia. This issue is expected to be included in the agenda of contacts with the Russian side.
