Donald Trump wants to accelerate negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The request to Volodymyr Zelensky now seems clear: territorial concessions in Donbass. And to convince the Ukrainian president to accept an agreement with Russia, Washington is apparently promising important economic benefits for Kiev. The news comes from New York Timesaccording to which the American president is determined to push Zelensky towards an agreement which, at least on a territorial level, would implement most of the requests made by Moscow.
Arrived in Norway with my team. Important meetings are scheduled: a trilateral with Jonas Gahr Støre and Alex Stubb, a bilateral with Steve Witkoff, and a meeting of all four of us. I will also have an audience with King Haakon VIII of Norway and a meeting with the Storting. We are maintaining all contacts that can help bring peace. We will also discuss strengthening our air defense and joint production. I am grateful to everyone who supports Ukraine and a dignified path to peace.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 20, 2026
The American diplomatic offensive enters a new phase today, Tuesday 20 October, with a summit in Oslo attended by Zelensky, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and several European representatives. The declared objective is to relaunch peace negotiations, while relations between Washington and Kiev are going through one of the most difficult phases of recent months.
What Trump wants for peace in Ukraine: territories in exchange for economic benefits
According to the reconstruction of New York TimesTrump is apparently trying to convince Zelensky that continuing to fight to maintain control of the areas of Donbass still in Ukrainian hands is not convenient. In exchange for a territorial compromise, the United States would offer economic opportunities linked to the conclusion of the conflict.
The proposal is part of the negotiations that the American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are conducting with Kiev and Moscow. Donbass, the eastern region comprising Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, remains a major obstacle to a deal.
Russia continues to claim territory that its army has failed to fully conquer. Kiev, however, opposes the idea of withdrawing from positions still controlled by its forces.
Who’s at the Oslo summit on October 20th?
The new diplomatic appointment is in Norway. Also attending the Oslo talks are US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. As well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and involved in negotiations with Moscow, also takes part in the meetings, but remotely. Representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland are also expected to attend the consultations, as well as officials from the European Union and NATO.
The initiative was requested by Ukraine. Norwegian Prime Minister Store explained that the goal is to bring diplomatic efforts back towards a more constructive path. Witkoff could meet Putin after Oslo: what the Kremlin said.
What the Europeans propose to Putin and Zelensky
According to the Financial TimesEuropean leaders may soon begin direct talks with Vladimir Putin. There would be two possible agreements: freezing the conflict along the current front line in exchange for Ukraine’s renunciation of membership in NATO.
Alternatively, the cession of the rest of Donbass to Russia, with Ukraine at that point joining NATO. The Financial Times columnist who authored the article, Gideon Rachman, writes that European leaders increasingly reject the idea of leaving the field of negotiations with Putin exclusively to Washington, citing frustration with Trump’s approach.
Because Trump and Zelensky are at loggerheads
The new mediation attempt comes at a time of sharp deterioration in relations between the United States and Ukraine. On October 19, Trump declared that Russia, in his opinion, had behaved well on the Ukrainian issue, while accusing Zelensky of hindering efforts to reach an agreement. The American president went so far as to suggest that Kiev find another negotiator.
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Also complicating the situation was the American decision to temporarily ease some restrictions on Russian diesel. The other area of conflict concerns military aid. The Ukrainian president has denounced delays in the supply of interceptors for the Patriot air defense systems, problems in the transmission of warnings on Russian ballistic missiles and limitations on the Starlink and Starshield satellite services.
On October 20, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after a 45-minute conversation with Zelensky, admitted that a batch of interceptor missiles purchased through the Purl program may not have been delivered. However, he ruled out that there was a deliberate political decision to harm Ukraine.
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Meanwhile, the war continues. Russia continues to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure, while Kiev maintains pressure on Russian oil facilities.