US envoy Witkoff to present updated Ukraine peace proposal to Putin after Oslo talks

Summary

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to present an updated proposal to end the war in Ukraine, a U.S. official said. Witkoff arrives after a day of talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the leaders of Norway and Finland, and representatives from France, the UK, Germany, Poland, the EU and NATO, where the discussions focused on a unified proposal for a framework agreement to end the war. Jared Kushner, a Trump adviser, will join the Putin meeting virtually and has pressed the demand that Ukraine halt strikes on Russian oil refineries. The U.S. official said the parties made meaningful progress and hope the proposal creates a pathway toward direct trilateral and broader multilateral negotiations. Zelensky has called for a trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump, which Russia has so far refused, and said he is prepared to cease strikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow takes reciprocal steps.

Timeline

1. Axios

   20 Oct 2026, 23:04 UTCSource ↗

   Axios reports that White House envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to present an updated proposal to end the war in Ukraine, a move the White House hopes will bring more willingness to compromise after Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Russian diesel sales.