October 21, 2026
Washington is intensifying its diplomatic efforts to mediate between Moscow and Kiev with the aim of reviving the path of a political settlement of the Aranian War. On Wednesday, October 21, US envoy Steve Witkoff heads to the Russian city of St. Petersburg, carrying a package of proposals that were discussed during talks held in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European partners, amid indications of the possibility of paving the way for holding a summit at the leadership level.
Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Storhe, confirmed after talks that he described as “positive and constructive” that took place on Tuesday in the Norwegian capital, that Witkopf will convey to Russian officials the summary of the discussions that took place between the American, Ukrainian and European parties. He explained that the discussions focused on the files of security guarantees for Ukraine, the issue of territories and sanctions, and European security arrangements, in addition to economic recovery plans for the post-war period, noting that these ideas may open the door to a leadership meeting whose formula or final date has not yet been determined.
For his part, Finnish President Alexander Stubb considered that the discussions had achieved progress on the technical level, expressing his hope that Witkopf’s upcoming contacts in Moscow would yield positive results.
Oslo witnessed a meeting that included the American delegation, headed by Witkoff, with Ukrainian President Zelensky, with the participation of Staub and Store. The Norwegian government explained that the participation of Witkov and Jared Kushner was at the request of the Ukrainian side, as Kushner joined the meetings via video communication technology. The Ukrainian delegation included – according to media reports – the director of the President’s Office, Kirill Budanov, his two deputies, Sergei Kyslitsa and Pavel Palesa, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Rustam Amirov, and the head of the “Servant of the People” parliamentary bloc, David Arakhamiya.
Following the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the need for his country to engage directly in any negotiations regarding its future, calling for holding a tripartite summit bringing together US President Donald Trump, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and alongside him, to resolve the outstanding issues. He also announced the resumption of intelligence exchange with Washington regarding Russian missile attacks, after discussions he held with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that addressed issues of air defense, early warning, and satellite communications.
On the other hand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed his welcome for holding a meeting soon between President Putin and American negotiators to inform the Russian leadership of the outcomes of communication with the Ukrainian and European sides, and to continue exchanging views, stressing the importance of continuing these diplomatic channels, without revealing a specific date or location for any potential meeting.
These moves come amid persistent efforts by Washington and European capitals to formulate a negotiating platform that brings Moscow and Kiev closer together regarding extremely sensitive issues, including security guarantees, the fate of disputed territories, the sanctions regime, and post-war engineering, at a time when the gap remains wide between the positions of the two parties regarding the terms of the final settlement.
