Kushner repeats Trump's demand for Ukraine to halt Russian refinery strikes in Oslo talks

Jared Kushner, President Trump's special representative and son-in-law, reiterated Trump's demand for Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries during talks in Oslo on October 20, according to Axios. Kushner joined the US-Ukraine negotiations via video conference and was "very straightforward" about the demand, a source said. Following the Oslo talks, envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21 to present new ceasefire ideas from Kyiv, with officials reporting "significant progress" and "solid alignment" on next steps. The US previously paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine last week, reportedly over refinery strikes, which Trump claims affect American consumers and diesel prices. President Zelensky said on October 20 that Ukraine is ready to avoid striking "sensitive parts" of Russia's energy sector if Moscow stops attacking Ukrainian energy facilities.