Trump urges Zelenskyy to make a deal with Russia after Oslo talks
The US president renewed his call as Zelenskyy met a US delegation in Norway and sought a three-way meeting with Trump and Putin.
US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a deal with Russia on October 20, shortly after Zelenskyy met a US delegation in Oslo, Norway. Trump’s remarks came ahead of a scheduled meeting between a US envoy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, placing his demand alongside the latest diplomatic talks over the war.
What Trump said about a Ukraine deal
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, “We want Zelenskyy to make a deal.” He claimed the United States had received “nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss” for its support of Ukraine, according to an Associated Press report published by PBS NewsHour. His description of what the United States received was his own claim.
Euronews reported that Trump said Zelenskyy “could have made a deal two years ago” and argued that Ukrainians would no longer tolerate the absence of one. Trump also invoked high diesel prices and said American taxpayers were tired of US support. He did not specify the terms he wanted Zelenskyy to accept in the reported remarks.
Zelenskyy’s Oslo talks and Witkoff’s planned Moscow visit
Zelenskyy’s talks in Oslo included a US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Euronews reported. Afterward, Zelenskyy called for a three-way meeting with Trump and Putin. That was a proposal for talks, with no agreement on such a meeting reported.
Witkoff was scheduled to travel to Russia for a meeting with Putin on Wednesday, October 21, according to Euronews. The planned visit made the timing of Trump’s public appeal significant: it followed the Oslo discussions and preceded the envoy’s expected talks in Moscow. The report did not establish an outcome for either proposed meeting.
Zelenskyy described a recent call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as constructive. Later, he wrote that the Oslo talks had been constructive because Ukraine, Europe and the United States wanted peace, adding, “we will see what happens tomorrow,” Euronews reported. His call for a meeting with both presidents offered a different diplomatic next step from Trump’s demand for a deal.
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Sources and context
- WATCH: Trump says U.S. has gotten 'nothing' from Ukraine other than 'high diesel,' urging dealAssociated Press, republished by PBS NewsHour
- 'Time to make a deal,' Trump tells ZelenskyyEuronews
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.