U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is reportedly heading to Europe for talks with Ukrainian and European leaders before a planned visit to Russia, opening a new diplomatic track as President Donald Trump considers a potential summit with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in China next month.
Witkoff is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo on Tuesday, alongside representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Poland, and NATO, according to an anonymous U.S. official, cited by American media. The discussions aim to develop a peace proposal for Moscow, where Witkoff subsequently hopes to meet Putin, although the White House has not confirmed the reported itinerary.
“The talks will bring together Ukraine, European allies and the U.S. as they seek to develop a peace proposal to present to Russia,” American media reported.
The initiative follows Trump’s announcement on Monday that he would consider meeting Putin and Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen in November. Although Trump emphasized nuclear disarmament as the proposed summit’s principal focus, he also expressed willingness to discuss ending the Ukraine war. The Kremlin acknowledged that a possible trilateral meeting had been mentioned but said no concrete proposals, agreements, or agenda existed, while Beijing reported having no information about such talks. Kyiv has opposed negotiations over Ukraine’s future without its participation, with Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga warning that a three-way summit could encourage Putin to prolong the war. Tensions have also intensified over Trump’s defense of sanctions relief for Moscow and his suggestion that someone other than Zelensky should negotiate for Ukraine.
Witkoff’s reported itinerary therefore offers a potentially more immediate diplomatic test than the proposed leaders’ summit. By consulting Kyiv and European governments before approaching Moscow, Washington could establish whether a common negotiating position is possible despite disagreements over sanctions and Ukrainian representation. Yet the sequence also raises questions about how much influence European governments and Ukraine would retain if negotiations eventually shifted to a Trump–Putin–Xi format. The distinction between a peace proposal developed with Kyiv and a broader geopolitical bargain negotiated by major powers could prove central to Ukraine’s acceptance of any settlement. The next development to watch is whether Witkoff’s reported Moscow visit materializes and whether Putin agrees to engage with proposals shaped by Ukraine and its European partners. (AFP+EIR)
