Zelenskyy Meets Trump Envoys as Rubio Calls Claims 'Scandalous'

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was expected to meet U.S. negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday, as Kyiv pressed its case that Washington is pulling back support needed to defend against Russian strikes, according to NBC News.

Witkoff planned to attend in person, with Kushner joining by videoconference, the Norwegian government told NBC News. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb were also set to join the talks, the government said.

Why does Kyiv say U.S. support has been withdrawn?

Ukrainian officials have accused the United States of hampering the country's defense against Russian attacks, a claim Secretary of State Marco Rubio called "scandalous," according to NBC News. The dispute surfaces as President Donald Trump's negotiators have had limited success brokering a diplomatic end to the war, the outlet reported.

What has Trump said about Zelenskyy and the war?

Trump called Monday for Zelenskyy to "get somebody else to negotiate," the latest in a string of public rebukes of the Ukrainian leader, NBC News reported. He also downplayed the toll of Russian strikes, telling reporters, "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much."

What moves has Trump made toward Russia?

Trump has waived sanctions and struck a diesel deal with Russia, a step NBC News described as an apparent bid to lower fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters he hoped U.S. envoys could meet in Russia "in the near future," though he set no firm date, according to the outlet.

By the numbers

• Russian attacks on Ukraine have killed civilians and flattened towns for roughly 4½ years, NBC News reported.
• Zelenskyy previously met with Witkoff and Kushner in Kyiv last month, according to the outlet.

For additional context on the strikes preceding this week's talks, see HTT News' earlier report, "What We Know About the Russia Attacks, Trump-Zelenskyy Standoff."

What to watch

• Whether Oslo talks produce any shift in the U.S. position on military or intelligence support for Kyiv.
• Congressional and allied reaction to Trump's sanctions waiver and the Russia diesel agreement.
• Any scheduling update on a possible U.S.-Russia envoy meeting, which Peskov said he hopes happens soon.
• Whether Trump follows through on pressing Zelenskyy to replace his negotiating team.

Neither the White House nor the Ukrainian presidency had issued a joint readout of the Oslo meeting as of Tuesday morning, according to NBC News' report.

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