Zelensky Cites 'Positive Signals' on Ukraine War Peace Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported “positive signals” following a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a summit in Oslo, Norway, involving U.S. special envoys. The developments come as President Trump stated it is "time" to finalize a peace agreement to end the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Zelensky detailed his discussions on Tuesday, stating, “We began early in the morning on the way to Oslo, and in the train, I had a conversation with Secretary Rubio and we spoke about sensitive issues like connection, Starlink, about interceptors, which are very important, about intelligence.”

During the quadrilateral meeting in Oslo, which included Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Zelensky received assurances of "strong" security guarantees for Ukraine. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, who participated in the summit, is expected to present a "document" with these proposals to Russian negotiators on Wednesday. U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner also joined the talks remotely.

An official noted that the envoys aimed to present a proposal to Russia that would outline a "new and enduring security architecture between Russia and Europe" and facilitate "postwar economic cooperation." Additionally, Witkoff was tasked with seeking the release of 72-year-old American citizen Stephen Hubbard, who is reportedly held in a Moscow prison.

“These discussions remain fluid, and substantial work remains. President Trump’s objective is clear: to end the killing, bring the war to a close, and establish the conditions for a lasting peace that benefits Ukraine, Russia, Europe, and the United States,” the official stated.

Earlier in October, Witkoff and Kushner met with Ukrainian mediators in Florida to discuss Kyiv's requests for security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe, its future accession into the EU, and a postwar financial plan. A source familiar with the talks indicated that addressing economic security for the involved nations could ease discussions on contested territories.

The context of these negotiations is also shaped by recent tensions regarding Ukraine's access to Starshield, the satellite internet service. Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials had claimed that the service's speed was throttled, impacting their military's drone operations. However, Trump, administration officials, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have denied any deliberate slowdown or disruption in U.S. intelligence sharing with Kyiv. Rubio stated that the lack of U.S. intelligence to thwart Russian attacks was not due to any directive to withhold advance warning.

President Trump expressed his perspective on the conflict Tuesday, stating, “We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. We’ve gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss. We’ve given incredible amounts of equipment and military, primarily military equipment, but equipment of all kinds. And it’s time.” He added, “We want Zelensky to make a deal. He can make a deal.”

Zelensky reiterated his willingness to engage in peace talks, noting that an energy cease-fire previously proposed by Trump had been broken. He stated on X, formerly Twitter, that Ukraine is prepared to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities if Russia reciprocates. “We have some clear ideas on how to get to peace. And we are united with our European partners in this effort, and we want the Americans to take these ideas to the Russians,” Zelensky said. “One of the important ideas is to move to a potential trilateral meeting of the leaders to address the issues that only the leaders can do.”