Zelensky says US intelligence sharing 'works now' after talks with Trump envoy in Oslo

Zelensky says US intelligence sharing 'works now' after talks with Trump envoy in Oslo

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said US intelligence sharing on deadly Russian missile attacks "works now" after discussions with President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The Oslo meeting followed accusations from Kyiv that Washington was withholding crucial intelligence, a charge US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed as "scandalous".

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who also joined the talks, said there had been "genuine progress" on peace proposals, though he offered no specifics and cautioned that patience would be necessary.

Zelensky and his European allies said the next step was for Russia to answer the proposals agreed in Oslo when Witkoff travels to St Petersburg on Wednesday.

Witkoff did not attend the joint news conference after Tuesday's talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet commented publicly on the latest developments, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier that the Kremlin would hear what Wiktoff had to offer, while rejecting "any political concessions".

Ties between Ukraine and the US have deteriorated in recent weeks to the point that Trump has said Ukraine needs a new president, and more recently "for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine".

After Zelensky's news conference in Oslo, Trump again told reporters at the White House that he wanted Kyiv to "make a deal". He said Russia would like to "get it done" and that it was "time for Ukraine to end this war".

Putin began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow now controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

Russian drone attacks continued on Tuesday. Ukrainian officials said at least 10 people were killed - four in Kyiv and the capital region, another four in the eastern Donetsk region, and two in the central city of Dnipro.

On the issue of US intelligence sharing after Tuesday's talks in the Norwegian capital, Zelensky said he was "thankful that intelligence works now".

"Speaking about early warning, which is very important for our people, our children, adults, civilians because we can hear when ballistic is coming - so we are thankful to American side, now it works, it's great," the Ukrainian president said.

He also said he hoped for a positive outcome on Starlink satellite access, after Ukraine's military reported in recent days speed restrictions on the US platform used by Kyiv to carry out drone strikes against Russia.

Zelensky also repeated that Ukraine was "ready for negotiations" to end the war.

"Of course, we are not losing this war, but we are losing people because Russia attacks," he said.

Norwegian Prime Ministeronas Gahr Støre, who also took part in the Oslo talks, emphasized that Europe "needs to be at the table" in any discussions about ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Zelensky brought Ukraine's intelligence chief Rustem Umerov and influential lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia to Oslo; both had earlier this month held talks in Miami with Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Those talks were reportedly cut short when the Ukrainian delegation learned that Trump had announced that Moscow would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and other markets, ending American sanctions on Russian diesel exports.

Zelensky responded by calling it "a happy birthday present" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ahead of next month's US midterm elections, Trump has blamed Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries for fuel prices that have been rising since the start of the US-led war on Iran.

European leaders have voiced concern about recent US statements toward Russia.

On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke of "mixed pictures and messages" on the war, adding that he was trying to persuade the American government "in total that this is something we have to resolve jointly".

"It's really a big effort for our budgets, it's really a big thing for the European Union, but we are doing that and we are trying to keep on doing that until this terrible war ends," the German leader told Bloomberg TV.

Asked in an interview on Monday whether he viewed Ukraine as a US ally, US Vice-President JD Vance said Kyiv was "certainly a partner in some ways, but we have some divergent interests from time to time, like for example... I think they should stop bombing Russian energy".

"We don't have a formal alliance as far as I know with Ukraine. They're not in Nato, I don't think they should be in Nato... we're gonna work together on some things, but also we're going to be opposite on some things too," he said.