Zelensky meets Trump envoy in Oslo, clinging to slim hope of US engagement

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday, calling the talks "constructive" despite visible exhaustion and apparent loss of faith in the US envoy. The meeting followed a week of escalating tensions between Kyiv and Washington, with the White House increasingly aligned with Moscow. Recent US actions included a diesel purchase contract benefiting Russia, Trump's suggestion that Zelensky is "not the right person to negotiate," demands to halt Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, frozen sanctions on Russia, and slowed intelligence sharing. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store expressed hope that US-orchestrated peace talks with Russia were "back on track," though Zelensky's demeanor suggested deep skepticism about the negotiations' prospects.