Zelensky: US Reaffirms Reliable Security Guarantees After Oslo Talks
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday, 20 October, that the United States assured Ukraine in Oslo that security guarantees for Kyiv will be "reliable", while Norway's prime minister announced that US envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia the next day.
Zelensky spoke at a joint press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. According to Ukrainska Pravda and European Pravda, the sides "discussed security guarantees in detail" during the day's talks.
Security guarantees on the table
"I am grateful to the American side for stressing again that these guarantees will be reliable," Zelensky said. He added that various proposals now exist: Ukraine's partners discussed NATO, Article 5 of the Alliance and guarantees similar to those the article provides. A document sets out different options for such guarantees.
"Steve will pass this document to the Russians, and within a day we will hear their response. This is extremely important, because after this war ends we need strong security guarantees."
Earlier in the day Zelensky met Witkoff in Oslo, as we reported. He called the conversation "very constructive", noting that it was constructive among Ukraine, the US and Europe because all of them want the war to end. He also described the morning's phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the start of the day with "positive signals from the American side".
Witkoff to meet Russian leadership
Støre said Witkoff, who held talks with Zelensky in Norway, will go to St Petersburg on Wednesday, 21 October. "He will meet the Russian leadership and exchange views on this meeting and on the proposals that European and American colleagues have been working on, and possibly prepare the ground for a leaders' meeting," the Norwegian prime minister said.
According to Støre, the Oslo talks covered Ukraine's security, a post-war prosperity plan, territorial questions, sanctions and Europe's security order after the war. Zelensky arrived in Oslo on Tuesday for talks with Norwegian officials and with US and European envoys. Witkoff came to Norway earlier in the day; his colleague Jared Kushner took part remotely because the US president's son-in-law has the flu. Zelensky also had an audience with King Harald V of Norway.
Zelensky on a US–China–Russia meeting
Asked about a possible meeting of the leaders of the US, China and Russia, Zelensky said they are free to meet, but that any discussion of Ukraine's future is acceptable only with Ukraine at the table. "I do not know what kind of three-way meeting between America, China and Russia is supposed to take place — that is up to them. But if the question concerns Ukraine and our future, it will only be acceptable when we are at the negotiating table," he said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Vladimir Putin proposed holding a meeting next month with Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss ending the war. Rubio said such a meeting had been discussed but is not yet confirmed. Trump said on 19 October that he is ready to meet Putin and Xi, even without Zelensky.
"We are not losing the war"
Zelensky also said Ukraine is not losing the war, but is losing people and time. "We lose people because of Russian attacks. We lose people and time, because our children do not have a real life, a real childhood. That is why we want to end the war as soon as possible," he said, adding that Kyiv is ready for talks and for any kind of ceasefire and hopes the US and Europe will help.
More coverage is in our politics section.