Russia on Wednesday freed retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard who had been imprisoned on charges of fighting as a Ukraine mercenary, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said.
The post Russia Relents: Frees American Citizen Stephen Hubbard After Trump Pressure appeared first on Breitbart.
Key developments on Oct. 21:
As Washington leans on Ukraine to make a deal with Russia amid its diesel agreement ahead of the US elections, its European partners are meeting to keep it armed against deadly weapons.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he met Kongsberg CEO Eirik Lie and Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik in Oslo on 21 October to discuss more NASAMS air defenses, a day after meeting US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff in the same city.
Washington has spent the past two weeks easing pressure on Russia and leaning on Kyiv, with a diesel deal, throttled Starlink, and talk of cutting intelligence, while Ukraine’s European partners move in the other direction. Russia pounds Ukrainian cities almost nightly, and the Norwegian-made NASAMS is one of the systems holding that barrage off critical infrastructure.
Kongsberg opened an office in Ukraine in 2025. Its NASAMS uses the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile built by the US defense giant RTX, the same firm behind the Patriot launchers that are Ukraine’s only means of downing Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles. The same missile is also used in F-16s.
“They effectively protect our people and critical infrastructure from Russian missile and drone attacks virtually every day,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that Ukraine is counting on additional defense support packages next month.
The visit also advanced a joint missile-defense project. Norway is actively involved in FREYJA, a European anti-ballistic missile program that Ukraine is helping to build.
“There are already first results in creating individual elements of the system. Today we determined where we can and must speed up to reach testing by the end of this year,” Zelenskyy said.
FREYJA now draws in 10 countries and is built around an interceptor missile designed to stop ballistic threats, a capability Europe largely lacks against Russia’s fastest weapons.
Zelenskyy also raised satellite communications amid the scandal over speed limitations on Elon Musk’s military Starlink service that disrupted a series of front-line missions.
“We discussed in detail the start of work on new satellite-communication capabilities for our soldiers,” the president said, adding that Kyiv would bring in partners able to support them.
The push comes after SpaceX throttled the StarShield military package Ukrainian drones use. Ukraine’s 7th Air Assault Corps said the connection began dropping as drones moved at speed, negatively affecting their missions.
O presidente russo, Vladimir Putin, disse ao enviado especial dos Estados Unidos, Steve Witkoff, nesta quarta-feira (21), que Moscou está disposta, em princípio, a retomar as negociações no próximo mês com a Ucrânia e os EUA sobre o fim do conflito na Ucrânia.
Nenhuma conversa desse tipo ocorreu desde fevereiro.
O assessor do Kremlin, Yuri Ushakov, afirmou que a nova rodada de negociações proposta deve se concentrar em “construir um sistema de segurança para a Rússia e a Ucrânia após o fim do conflito”.
Ele disse que Witkoff havia informado Putin sobre suas conversas no dia anterior em Oslo, onde o americano se encontrou com o presidente ucraniano Volodymyr Zelensky, o primeiro-ministro norueguês e o presidente finlandês.
Ushakov afirmou que Witkoff havia “observado algumas novas abordagens, novos pontos nas abordagens dos europeus e de Kiev, embora elas não contivessem muito que fosse útil no contexto da resolução da crise ucraniana“.
Em conversas que duraram quase três horas, Putin e o enviado dos EUA também discutiram a implementação de um acordo de 9 de outubro entre Putin e o presidente dos EUA, Donald Trump, sobre o fornecimento de diesel russo para os mercados dos EUA e mundiais, acrescentou Ushakov.
Também houve discussão sobre a crise com o Irã.
“Vladimir Putin enfatizou que o potencial diplomático está longe de se esgotar e que é possível e necessário chegar a acordos com Teerã, que é nosso parceiro estratégico”, disse Ushakov.
” A Rússia reafirmou sua disposição de continuar facilitando a busca por soluções políticas e diplomáticas para a questão iraniana.”
Por que Donetsk é ponto de discórdia para encerrar guerra na Ucrânia?
Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American citizen imprisoned since 2022, as US special envoy Steve Witkoff holds talks with President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday, 21 October.
Putin announced the release during his meeting with Witkoff, saying Hubbard had already been transferred to Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg in preparation for his return to the United States. Witkoff thanked the Russian president for securing the American’s freedom.
The development follows direct intervention by President Donald Trump, who confirmed on Tuesday that he had personally raised Hubbard’s detention with Putin and requested his release.
Hubbard, a retired English teacher from Michigan, had spent decades living abroad before moving to Izium, in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, in 2014. Russian forces detained him in April 2022, during their occupation of the city following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In October 2024, a Moscow court sentenced him to six years and ten months in prison after finding him guilty of serving as a mercenary for Ukrainian forces.
Russian prosecutors alleged that Hubbard had joined a Ukrainian military unit and received approximately $1,000 a month for his activities, including guarding military checkpoints.
His family rejected the accusations. His sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, maintained that he had never participated in military operations, while his American lawyer, Martin De Luca, said the charges were fabricated.
The US State Department subsequently designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained, making his release a priority in Washington’s negotiations with Moscow.
Hubbard’s release comes during another round of intensive diplomatic contacts involving Washington, Kyiv and Moscow.
Witkoff arrived in St Petersburg following talks in Oslo on Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Jared Kushner, another representative of Trump’s administration, participated remotely.
The discussions addressed security arrangements, energy and economic questions connected with Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Witkoff travelled directly from Norway to Russia, where he was received by Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev before his meeting with Putin.
The release provides a concrete outcome from the latest US-Russian contacts, although no indication has emerged that it forms part of a broader agreement concerning Ukraine.
It also follows several previous cases in which American citizens detained in Russia have been released through negotiations between Washington and Moscow.
In August, former US Marine Robert Gilman was released on humanitarian grounds amid serious concerns about his deteriorating health.
Hubbard was the only American prisoner in Russian custody officially classified by Washington as wrongfully detained at the time of his release.
Neither side has announced whether Moscow received any concessions in exchange for his freedom, while the outcome of Witkoff’s wider negotiations with Putin remains unclear.
O enviado especial dos Estados Unidos Steve Witkoff se reúne nesta quarta-feira (21) com o presidente russo, Vladimir Putin, em conversas destinadas a avançar propostas para encerrar a guerra na Ucrânia e abrir caminho para negociações mais amplas.
As conversas começaram pela manhã em São Petersburgo, após a reunião de cúpula realizada por Witkoff na terça-feira (20) com o presidente ucraniano, Volodymyr Zelensky, na Noruega. Em um vídeo do encontro, Witkoff afirmou que discutir os resultados daquela cúpula “produtiva” em Oslo estava entre os pontos da agenda.
“Acho que há algum grau de impulso, e espero que o encontro de hoje possa representar mais um passo à frente no processo de paz e nas discussões sobre como resolver o conflito ucraniano”, disse o enviado do governo Trump.
Witkoff também pediu a Putin que considerasse retomar as conversas trilaterais entre Rússia, Estados Unidos e Ucrânia, nas quais questões técnicas poderiam ser discutidas, segundo ele. Putin demonstrou interesse no tema da retomada da cooperação econômica com os Estados Unidos e na possibilidade de um encontro com a China para discutir a Ucrânia.
Um dos principais resultados do encontro até o momento foi o anúncio de Witkoff de que a Rússia libertará o cidadão americano Stephen Hubbard, de 74 anos, detido no país há mais de quatro anos.
Putin, Witkoff e tradutores se sentaram ao redor de uma grande mesa redonda enquanto discutiam uma ampla variedade de questões, incluindo a disposição da Rússia para ajudar a resolver a guerra no Irã, possíveis exportações russas de fertilizantes para os Estados Unidos e a libertação de Hubbard.
Os Estados Unidos e a Ucrânia fizeram “progressos significativos” nas conversas realizadas na Noruega na terça-feira, afirmou anteriormente uma autoridade americana à CNN. A Ucrânia “apresentou novas ideias e propostas, que foram discutidas em detalhes”, e os dois lados agora estão em “forte alinhamento” sobre os próximos passos, disse a autoridade.
“As discussões abrangeram elementos fundamentais de uma estrutura abrangente de paz, incluindo garantias de segurança de longo prazo para a Ucrânia, um plano econômico e de prosperidade para o pós-guerra e uma arquitetura de segurança europeia mais ampla, concebida para criar estabilidade duradoura”, afirmou a autoridade americana.
A Ucrânia e seus aliados reiteraram as principais linhas vermelhas estabelecidas por Kiev para qualquer negociação de paz, incluindo a necessidade de garantias de segurança futuras — para assegurar que a Rússia não volte a invadir o país — e a rejeição a quaisquer exigências de cessão de território.
A Rússia exigiu que a Ucrânia ceda toda a região de Donbas, no leste do país, que atualmente está majoritariamente sob controle russo. Moscou também pediu que a Ucrânia reduza drasticamente o tamanho de suas Forças Armadas e se comprometa a nunca ingressar na Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte (Otan).
“Temos algumas ideias claras sobre como chegar à paz e estamos unidos aos nossos parceiros europeus nesse esforço. Queremos que os americanos levem essas ideias aos russos”, disse Zelensky na terça-feira. “Vamos ver o que Putin tem a dizer.”
Sobre as conversas com o lado ucraniano, a autoridade americana acrescentou: “As equipes estão trabalhando excepcionalmente bem juntas, com um compromisso compartilhado de encontrar soluções práticas para encerrar a guerra”, adotando um tom positivo apesar da deterioração das relações públicas entre Zelensky e o presidente dos Estados Unidos, Donald Trump.
“O objetivo é aproveitar o progresso alcançado com a Ucrânia e a Europa, discutir as propostas com a Rússia e abrir caminho para negociações trilaterais diretas e conversas multilaterais mais amplas”, afirmou a autoridade americana.
Enquanto isso, na Rússia, o ministro das Relações Exteriores, Sergey Lavrov, adotou um tom menos otimista na terça-feira. Ele afirmou que Moscou verá o que Witkoff apresentará, mas não fará “concessões políticas”. Lavrov disse que Moscou “não espera um milagre” e que Washington continuará sendo, na melhor das hipóteses, um rival da Rússia, segundo a agência estatal russa de notícias TASS.
Uma autoridade europeia em Oslo disse à CNN: “Acho que os planos — ou a falta deles — não são um problema tão grande quanto fazer a Rússia levar qualquer plano a sério”.
Jared Kushner, genro de Trump que também participa das negociações de paz, está gripado e participa remotamente da reunião na Rússia.
O secretário de Estado dos Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, afirmou nesta quarta-feira que a reunião do enviado especial americano Steve Witkoff com o presidente ucraniano, Volodymyr Zelensky, foi positiva e que Witkoff compartilhará os resultados com a Rússia.
Rubio também reiterou que Washington não restringiu o acesso de Kiev ao Starlink, sistema de satélites da SpaceX essencial para os esforços de guerra da Ucrânia. A declaração contradiz relatos de que o governo americano teria tido participação na redução do serviço para as forças militares ucranianas.
Zelensky viajou a Oslo para se reunir com Witkoff na terça-feira (20), enquanto a Ucrânia busca recompor as relações com os Estados Unidos em meio a tensões sobre o apoio militar americano, o compartilhamento de informações de inteligência e o acesso ucraniano à versão militar do Starlink.
Rubio disse a jornalistas em Mumbai, durante uma visita à Índia, que as conversas entre Witkoff e o líder ucraniano não trouxeram surpresas.
“Agora, munido dessas ideias, ele poderá ir a São Petersburgo e compartilhá-las com o lado russo. Vamos ver se conseguimos avançar”, afirmou.
Sobre o Starlink, Rubio declarou: “O que posso dizer com certeza é que nem o presidente dos Estados Unidos nem qualquer pessoa em nosso sistema solicitou que fossem feitas mudanças nesse sistema”.
“Não podemos dizer a uma empresa privada quais decisões tomar ou deixar de tomar”, acrescentou.
“Não tenho conhecimento de que soubéssemos dessa decisão com antecedência […] mas isso é irrelevante. O ponto principal é que o uso dos serviços é regido por um contrato comercial privado […] E, portanto, continuaremos a tratar do assunto”, disse.
Elon Musk, CEO da SpaceX, afirmou na semana passada que, como os sistemas pertencem ao governo dos Estados Unidos e são controlados por ele, quaisquer restrições de velocidade ou uso são decididas pelas Forças Armadas americanas ou pelo presidente dos EUA.
Sob o governo do presidente Donald Trump, os Estados Unidos praticamente interromperam o fornecimento direto de armas à Ucrânia, mas permitem que países europeus comprem armamentos americanos em nome de Kiev por meio de um programa conhecido como Lista de Requisitos Prioritários da Ucrânia.
Washington também forneceu informações de inteligência e tecnologia que a Europa não consegue igualar.
*Com informações de CNN e Reuters
Entenda como protestos levaram Zelensky a trocar comando militar da Ucrânia
US envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday after what a US official called “constructive” talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Norway, as President Donald Trump said it was time for Ukraine to end the war.
The US official said Ukraine brought forward new ideas and proposals to the Oslo talks, which also involved the leaders of Norway and Finland and European and NATO representatives, and that participants made “meaningful progress” toward a coordinated approach to engaging Russia.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the talks covered “key elements of a comprehensive peace framework,” including security guarantees for Ukraine, a post-war economic plan and a broader European security architecture.
Witkoff would aim to “create a pathway toward direct trilateral and broader multilateral negotiations,” the official said.
Zelenskiy travelled to Oslo seeking to repair relations with Washington, which have sunk to new lows as Trump has courted Moscow. Kyiv has complained that Washington has withheld vital military support and intelligence.
Zelenskiy told a news conference after the Oslo meeting and an earlier phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Ukraine was again receiving early warnings of Russian missile attacks.
“Now it works, it’s great,” he said, adding he and Rubio had discussed supplies of Patriot missile interceptors as well as the satellite-based Starlink system, which Kyiv complained had stopped working when mounted on fast-moving objects such as drones.
Trump’s recent gestures toward Moscow, including a deal to buy Russian diesel and a waiver of new sanctions, sparked bipartisan pushback in the US Congress and worry in European capitals.
Zelenskiy said he had discussed “Article 5-like” security guarantees, referring to the NATO stipulation that an attack on one ally is an attack on all.
“I am thankful to the American side that they underlined again that it will be strong,” he said.
Zelenskiy reiterated that Ukraine hoped to discuss key issues on how to end the war during a trilateral meeting of leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the US.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told the news conference the Oslo meeting had been good and constructive, while Finnish President Alexander Stubb added: “I think the (peace) process is back on track.”
Washington has denied deliberately hindering Ukraine’s war effort. But Trump has repeatedly rebuked Zelenskiy, and called for him to be replaced.
On Tuesday, Trump called on Ukraine to make a deal to settle the war, and said Moscow wanted to get it done. “Ukraine has to want to settle this war,” he told reporters.
Trump suggested Moscow had the upper hand in the fight because “Russia is a big machine — they just keep grinding forward, and that’s what they’ve done. They’ve taken a very large piece of land.”
The US under Trump has largely stopped providing weapons directly to Ukraine but lets European countries buy US weaponry on Kyiv’s behalf under a program known as Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL). It has also provided intelligence and technology that Europe cannot match.
A source familiar with the matter said most weapons deliveries under PURL continued to flow, but US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had not approved Ukraine’s latest requests for Patriot interceptors.
Rubio acknowledged on Tuesday that a consignment of interceptors bought by European countries for Ukraine may not have been delivered, but denied that the US had changed policy.
“There has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine,” he said on a visit to India.
Hegseth told reporters US policy toward Ukraine had not changed and stressed the need to maintain US stockpiles. “Certainly, with things like interceptors, we want to make sure our guys have the most possible as well,” he said.
He also said Washington had not pulled back Ukraine’s ability to access Starlink, which is owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and appeared to signal that the problem rested with corporate terms of service Kyiv needed to comply with.
Musk has said Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink communications system, is controlled by the US government and any limits on its use are ultimately up to Trump.
Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal cited US officials and people familiar with the matter as saying that Musk ordered the slowdown after consulting with Trump and other administration officials. Reuters reported earlier that the order to limit the service came from the White House.
While US ties with Ukraine have deteriorated, Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian cities, particularly targeting power stations and fuel, despite a call from Trump for both sides to spare each other’s energy systems.
Russia bombarded cities in western Ukraine overnight, targeting electricity systems and knocking out power across swathes of the country that had previously been spared.
Ukraine held back for several days last week from hitting Russian oil refineries in deference to Trump’s request, but has resumed strikes after Russia showed no sign of complying. Both sides have also struck data centres.
Trump has repeatedly condemned Ukrainian attacks on Russia while saying little about Russia’s far more severe attacks on Ukraine.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday it struck three cargo vessels in Ukraine’s port of Reni and two other cargo vessels en route to Odesa. Russian forces also hit two logistics hubs, it said.
Energy facilities were attacked in seven Ukrainian regions overnight, knocking out power, and the western Lviv region was struck again during the day. Russian drones also struck an energy facility in Kyiv on Tuesday, mayor Vitali Klitschko said, with authorities saying power was out in four districts.
The deterioration of US-Ukraine relations began 10 days ago when Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel in a deal agreed with Putin. Trump said this would help reduce high fuel prices that have upset US voters ahead of midterm elections on November 3.
At the weekend, Trump issued a broad waiver of tougher sanctions on Russia that were meant to have begun this week.
The latest negotiations over Russia’s war against Ukraine have produced a renewed diplomatic initiative, with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff preparing to travel to St Petersburg on Wednesday, 21 October, following consultations with Ukrainian and European leaders in Oslo.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Witkoff alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Tuesday. Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, participated remotely. The discussions covered territorial questions, security guarantees, sanctions and proposals for a partial ceasefire.
The meeting concluded with cautious expressions of optimism. Stubb suggested that the negotiating process was back on track, while Støre confirmed that Witkoff would present proposals developed by American, Ukrainian and European representatives to the Russian leadership.
However, the diplomatic improvement contrasts with Trump’s renewed public pressure on Zelenskyy, raising questions about Washington’s negotiating strategy and whether Moscow has any intention of accepting the proposed settlement.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump again insisted that Ukraine must reach an agreement with Russia, portraying Moscow’s military position as increasingly advantageous.
His remarks closely resembled arguments advanced during earlier disputes with Zelenskyy, when Washington pressed Kyiv to accept territorial concessions rather than increase pressure on the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure the Ukrainian leadership that American military cooperation had not been deliberately restricted.
Rubio denied that Trump had ordered changes to intelligence-sharing or weapons assistance. Zelenskyy subsequently confirmed that Ukraine was again receiving American early-warning intelligence concerning Russian ballistic missile attacks.
Nevertheless, serious problems remain. Ukraine has reported delays in deliveries of American-made Patriot interceptors purchased by European allies, while restrictions affecting the military Starshield satellite communications system have not been fully resolved.
These difficulties are particularly serious as Russia intensifies attacks against Ukrainian electricity infrastructure, attempting to undermine civilian services ahead of winter.
The conflicting signals leave Kyiv negotiating with an administration whose diplomatic representatives promise continued cooperation while its president publicly demands Ukrainian concessions.
Among the proposals discussed in Oslo were security arrangements intended to provide Ukraine with protection comparable to NATO’s Article 5 collective-defence provision.
Zelenskyy acknowledged that American representatives had discussed such guarantees, although their precise obligations and enforcement mechanisms remain undisclosed.
The proposal presents a fundamental negotiating problem.
Russia has consistently opposed Ukrainian NATO membership, partly because the alliance’s collective-defence commitments would increase the consequences of any renewed Russian aggression.
An alternative arrangement offering genuinely comparable protection would consequently encounter many of the same Russian objections.
Conversely, guarantees lacking a credible enforcement mechanism would leave Ukraine exposed to another attack after a ceasefire.
Moscow’s record provides little reassurance. Russia violated Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders in 2014 and launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 despite previous commitments to respect Ukrainian sovereignty.
Washington’s approach appears increasingly concentrated on securing an agreement involving territorial concessions and restrictions on Ukraine’s future security arrangements.
Yet Putin’s objectives have consistently extended beyond the territories occupied by Russian forces.
The Kremlin has demanded constraints on Ukraine’s military capabilities, international alliances and strategic independence. Accepting territorial gains alone would not necessarily satisfy Moscow’s wider political ambitions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has maintained that Moscow is unwilling to make substantial political concessions, while the Kremlin continues to insist that any agreement must address what it describes as the underlying causes of the conflict.
Those conditions have previously included demands that would substantially restrict Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Consequently, even a Ukrainian willingness to consider elements of Washington’s proposals would not guarantee Russian acceptance.
One possibility under consideration is a limited ceasefire protecting energy and potentially food-related infrastructure.
Zelenskyy has indicated that Ukraine could suspend attacks against Russian energy facilities if Moscow stopped striking Ukrainian infrastructure.
Such an arrangement could reduce immediate civilian suffering. It would also have military and economic consequences.
Ukrainian attacks against Russian refineries, oil terminals and other energy installations have increasingly targeted infrastructure supporting Moscow’s war economy.
A temporary suspension could allow Russia to repair damaged facilities, restore production and stabilise export revenues. Without credible monitoring and enforcement, Moscow could exploit a limited agreement while leaving the wider conflict unresolved.
Trump has additional reasons to seek a rapid diplomatic result. With American congressional elections scheduled for 3 November, his administration is attempting to contain domestic fuel prices and demonstrate progress towards ending the war.
His recent decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports has already provoked concern in Kyiv and European capitals over the potential financial benefits to Moscow.
The danger for Ukraine is that an agreement presented as a diplomatic achievement in Washington could provide Russia with economic relief without altering its military objectives.
Witkoff’s visit to St Petersburg will establish whether Moscow is prepared to engage with the proposals developed in Oslo.
Putin could accept a temporary arrangement, particularly one suspending Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, while postponing discussions over territorial and political questions.
Alternatively, Moscow could reject the initiative and maintain its existing demands.
In either case, Washington will face a decision over the consequences of Russian intransigence.
For Kyiv, continued engagement with the United States remains essential because American intelligence, satellite communications and advanced air-defence weapons cannot readily be replaced.
But the prospects for a negotiated settlement will depend less on further Ukrainian concessions than on whether Russia faces sufficient political, military and economic pressure to abandon its maximalist demands.
The Oslo negotiations have restored cooperation between Ukraine, Europe and American mediators. They have not established that Putin is prepared to end the war on terms compatible with Ukraine’s continued independence.
Ukraine got no early warning from its partners of the first wave of Russian ballistic missiles on the night of 18–19 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told US senators on 19 October. He also said Starlink and Starshield terminals still stop working above certain speeds on parts of the front, and that Washington has explained neither problem. In the same video call, according to a transcript obtained by Axios, he said US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not signing off on deliveries of Patriot interceptors and AIM-9X missiles for NASAMS that NATO countries have already paid for.
This comes as the US presses Kyiv to stop its strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Trump has blamed for high fuel prices at home. Washington supplies both the early launch warnings and the Patriot interceptors Ukraine needs against Russian ballistic missiles, and Zelenskyy says both are now failing at once, as Russia keeps firing ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s grid ahead of winter. If neither the warnings nor the interceptors come through, Ukrainian cities would face winter strikes with less notice and fewer means to stop them.
On the morning of 20 October, Zelenskyy wrote that he had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about interceptors against ballistic missiles, early warning of Russian ballistic attacks, and restoring Starlink and Starshield. He thanked Rubio for his readiness to help and his clear position, and said they had agreed to speak again soon. He did not say whether anything had been resolved.
“We have almost no Patriot interceptors left from the US partners,” Zelenskyy told the senators.
Hegseth “has the contracts for Patriot missiles on his desk,” a Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent, adding that allies had already paid for them. Another senior official called the batch “significant.” One of the main channels for Ukraine’s Patriot supply is NATO’s PURL mechanism, under which allies fund purchases of US weapons for Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian military official told the outlet.
On 19 October, Zelenskyy wrote that some types of vital supplies were being delayed at the US Department of War, as the Trump administration also calls the Pentagon. He added that some political agreements had not been carried out at the working level.
A NATO official told the Kyiv Independent that PURL deliveries, including air defense, were continuing. Another said some shipments could face delays, but that political reasons were unlikely to explain them. A US government official called Ukraine’s claims “not true.” The Pentagon did not respond to the outlet.
On 18 October, Zelenskyy said on NBC that US warnings of ballistic launches had resumed after three days without them. That night, Russia launched two ballistic waves at Ukraine, and information from partners did not arrive before the first, Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. Zelenskyy told the senators Ukraine had not received US warnings on three occasions in the past week. “We have received no clear explanation from Washington,” he said.
“All of this suggests that some political decision has been made to slow down support for us,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy told the senators he had offered US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner a 30-day halt on strikes against Russian refineries. In return, the US would supply Patriot interceptors to cover that period. He said the envoys had shown no openness to the idea.
On 20 October, Norway announced talks in Oslo that day between Zelenskyy, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, with Witkoff attending in person and Kushner by video.
Senator Thom Tillis said he and his colleagues remain committed to standing with Ukraine and its European allies, while Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote that bipartisan support was “clear and unequivocal” and would be expressed “in upcoming action.”
US President Donald Trump told reporters on 19 October that Washington is still sharing intelligence with Ukraine and that he did not know who ordered the throttling of Starlink, Axios reported.
“Zelensky doesn’t know what he is talking about,” Trump said.
The latest American diplomatic initiative on Ukraine comes at a particularly difficult moment in relations between Washington and Kyiv. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is taking part in talks in Oslo on Tuesday, 20 October, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, before an anticipated visit to Moscow for discussions with Vladimir Putin.
The Norwegian government has confirmed that the meetings will include Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will participate remotely. The meeting was requested by Zelenskyy, with Norway and Finland providing the diplomatic setting.
Yet the significance of the Oslo discussions lies less in the gathering itself than in the political circumstances surrounding it. Washington is seeking an agreement with Moscow while simultaneously becoming more confrontational towards Kyiv. Recent American decisions affecting military assistance, intelligence cooperation and Russian energy exports have introduced serious doubts about how the administration intends to use its considerable negotiating leverage.
The immediate difficulty concerns the growing discrepancy between American diplomatic assurances and the practical conditions under which Ukraine is expected to negotiate.
Zelenskyy has accused Washington of delaying military deliveries, restricting intelligence sharing and limiting access to the Starshield satellite communications system. The Ukrainian president suggested that these developments reflected a political decision to reduce support at a particularly sensitive stage of the war. American officials have disputed allegations that assistance is being deliberately restricted.
Among the disputed deliveries are Patriot air-defence interceptors purchased by European NATO members through the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List programme. Zelenskyy has indicated that shipments remain subject to authorisation by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
These are operational matters with immediate consequences. Ukraine relies on American intelligence, communications infrastructure and air-defence equipment to counter Russian missile attacks. Any interruption affects Kyiv’s military calculations, irrespective of whether Washington formally acknowledges a change in policy.
The political message is equally consequential. Trump has publicly questioned Zelenskyy’s willingness to negotiate and suggested that Ukraine might need somebody else to conduct talks with Russia. Such remarks place additional pressure on the Ukrainian leadership while leaving Moscow’s territorial demands largely untouched.
The central weakness in the American diplomatic approach is the assumption that renewed engagement with Putin will necessarily produce meaningful Russian concessions.
Moscow has repeatedly treated negotiations as an opportunity to pursue political objectives that its armed forces have not achieved on the battlefield. Russian demands concerning Ukrainian territory and restrictions on Kyiv’s future security arrangements remain incompatible with Ukraine’s sovereignty.
An agreement reached under these conditions could suspend hostilities without resolving the underlying conflict. Russia would retain the capacity to rebuild its forces, while Ukraine could find its military options constrained by commitments made in exchange for an uncertain ceasefire.
The Trump administration’s recent economic dealings with Moscow further complicate the negotiations. Washington’s arrangements concerning Russian diesel have attracted criticism from Kyiv and European governments, particularly because Russian energy revenues remain an important source of financing for the war.
Trump has also pressed Ukraine to curtail attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, reflecting American concerns about fuel prices. For Moscow, relief from attacks on refineries would preserve economically important facilities that Ukraine has demonstrated an increasing ability to reach.
Any arrangement limiting such operations without corresponding Russian concessions would alter the military and economic balance in Moscow’s favour.
The broader American proposals reportedly include possible post-war economic cooperation with Russia. Their implications extend beyond Ukraine: commercial normalisation could offer the Kremlin substantial benefits before the conditions for a stable European security settlement have been established.
European participation in the Oslo process is therefore more substantial than a question of diplomatic representation.
Britain, France, Germany and Poland, alongside the European Union and NATO, are expected to be involved in the wider discussions. European governments would almost certainly bear much of the financial and military responsibility for implementing any settlement, including Ukraine’s reconstruction and long-term security.
They also possess considerable economic leverage through sanctions, financial restrictions and decisions concerning frozen Russian assets. Those instruments would form part of any serious negotiation over Moscow’s future relations with Europe.
However, European influence remains constrained by continuing dependence on American military technology and equipment. The controversy surrounding Patriot deliveries illustrates the problem: European governments can finance weapons for Ukraine without necessarily controlling when those weapons are released.
As EU Today previously examined, Washington’s negotiations with Moscow have consequences for European security that cannot be separated from the future of Ukraine.
European governments consequently face a difficult calculation. They wish to preserve American involvement, but excessive accommodation of Washington’s demands could leave them financing security arrangements over which they exercise limited control.
Norway and Finland have helped bring the Ukrainian and American delegations together at a moment when their relationship is deteriorating. Whether that produces progress will depend partly on Moscow’s response, but also on whether Washington is prepared to maintain the military and economic pressure necessary to make Russian concessions possible.
Witkoff’s anticipated journey from Oslo to Moscow will offer an early indication of the administration’s priorities. Putin will be assessing the terms Washington is prepared to offer, while Kyiv remains concerned about restrictions affecting equipment it needs to defend its cities.
For the Ukrainian leadership, the danger is that negotiations intended to end Russia’s invasion could become a process in which the country resisting that invasion is asked to make the most immediate concessions.
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