The key facts

  • Witkoff will travel to St. Petersburg on October 21 (Wednesday) to meet the Russian leadership
  • Oslo talks covered security guarantees, territory, sanctions, Ukraine's recovery
  • Stubb: talks at the technical level are going well, partial ceasefires were discussed

Witkoff's visit to Russia

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said at a press conference in Oslo on Tuesday that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to St. Petersburg on Wednesday to meet with the Russian leadership. According to him, Witkoff will convey the ideas discussed during the talks with the Ukrainian and Nordic sides in Norway and exchange views on the proposals developed by European and American officials, which could potentially open the way to a leaders-level meeting.

Participants and content of the Oslo talks

The press conference was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Støre called the talks 'good and constructive' and stressed the importance of continued cooperation for a diplomatic resolution of the war in Ukraine. He listed the topics discussed: security guarantees for Ukraine, post-war recovery and prosperity, territorial issues, sanctions and the future European security order. Støre also emphasized that Europe must play a central role in any peace settlement: 'Europe must be at the table. It was a weakness that Europe was not central enough in this.'

Finland's position

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that nearer-term priorities were also discussed: air defense, energy infrastructure and partial ceasefires on energy and food security. He assessed the talks as going well at the technical level: 'I feel that we understand each other, and the next steps are about how we get there.' Stubb noted that Finland seeks to facilitate dialogue between Washington and Kyiv, as well as between Ukraine and Russia, while remaining committed to international law. 'We believe it is better to talk than not to talk,' he said.