Can the conflict between Washington and Kyiv be settled? In Oslo, Zelensky is making a new attempt

Can the conflict between Washington and Kyiv be settled? Zelensky is making a new attempt in Oslo On Tuesday, the Ukrainian president met the US envoy Steve Witkoff in Norway to work out a peace plan. Ukraine wants to prevent a rupture with the White House – but Trump would rather talk with Putin and Xi. The relationship between the USA and Ukraine has rarely been as tense as it is now. Hardly a day passes where Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky do not exchange biting criticism. Despite – or perhaps because of – the public mudslinging, the Ukrainian president met with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday. The purpose was to work out a proposal for a peace plan that can be offered to Russia. According to the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, it was Zelensky who asked Witkoff to participate in the talks. "The goal is to bring the diplomatic efforts to a more constructive path." Along with Støre, the Finnish president Alexander Stubb was also present. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner participated via video link. Before this, Zelensky had met with the Norwegian King Haakon. These were the first direct talks between Washington and Kyiv since the start of the recent crisis a week and a half ago. For Zelensky, it is about a lot: he must present himself as a credible partner for a peace solution and thus appease the Americans. At a press conference in the evening, Zelensky, Støre, and Stubb expressed optimism, speaking of "constructive discussions" and "real progress," without being specific. The goal was to hold a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky. Witkoff was scheduled to travel to St. Petersburg on Wednesday to meet the Russian leadership and present the discussed ideas. Trump ignores Russia's attacks The confidence spread in Oslo stands in sharp contrast to Donald Trump's behavior. The American president seems less willing to pay close attention to the interests of Ukraine or Europe – rather, he reaches out to Moscow. He has not only concluded a diesel agreement with Putin and stopped the imposition of new sanctions against Russia, but he is also increasingly adopting the rhetoric of the Kremlin when portraying Zelensky as an obstacle to a peace solution and calling for a change at the head of state. Trump practically tells the Ukrainian president something almost daily. On Sunday, he wrote about Zelensky: "He does not want this war to end and perhaps never wanted it." On Monday followed the next tirade: "We have given Ukraine a lot. They have given us nothing." On the Russian side, however, Trump does not want to see any mistakes: "Russia has behaved quite well in relation to Ukraine, frankly. They have not done much." He did not mention that Moscow's bombs destroy Ukrainian homes and energy facilities almost every day. The number of civilian casualties in Ukraine has risen sharply in recent months. Deadly attacks also occurred on Tuesday. Instead, Trump repeatedly criticizes the Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries. Zelensky talks to Rubio Recently, Zelensky has also not held back from public criticism. On Sunday, he said in an interview with Bloomberg: "I believe that steps are being taken to move Ukraine to capitulation." He accuses Washington of deliberately withholding intelligence and air defense missiles and restricting the Starlink satellite internet. After an air raid with sixteen ballistic missiles, Zelensky wrote on Monday that Ukraine had not been warned by its partners again. The USA denies these accusations. Even before Zelensky met Witkoff on Tuesday, he spoke with the American Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to the American news portal "Axios," Rubio reportedly assured the Ukrainian president that there was no order from Trump to harm Ukraine. The delay in delivering Patriot missiles is due to the US's great self-interest. The lack of warnings about missile attacks is due to technical problems. Following the phone call, Zelensky spoke of a "constructive discussion" and thanked Rubio for his "helpfulness and clear stance." However, the stance of the White House is likely not that clear given the mixed signals from Washington for Zelensky. Putin proposes a trilateral meeting In the current conflict, it is noticeable how much the Europeans are holding back. After the clash between Zelensky and Trump in February 2025, European leaders such as Friedrich Merz, Emmanuel Macron, and Keir Starmer had still demonstratively closed ranks behind Ukraine and launched a diplomatic offensive in Washington to prevent a larger crisis. Now, it seems to be only the Norwegians and the Finns who are actively mediating between the warring parties. Representatives from other EU states or NATO did not participate in the talks. Especially Macron and Merz, the spokesmen of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing," are likely currently absorbed by domestic political problems. Prime Minister Støre said on Tuesday evening that they would now exchange views with European leaders: "We need a more united Europe at the negotiating table." Meanwhile, Donald Trump is contemplating a trilateral meeting with the Russian president and the Chinese state leader Xi Jinping. On Monday, he confirmed his interest in such an exchange, but on different topics than Ukraine. According to the "Wall Street Journal," the idea stems from a proposal by Putin who wants to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war with his counterparts. An opportunity arose on the sidelines of the APEC summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen in mid-November. It would be a meeting in Putin's sense: He would sit at a table with the most powerful men in the world to talk about global affairs – without Zelensky and the bothersome Europeans.